Casa Toscana B&B Authentic Italy - Budget Hotel - For Wine Lovers - Romantic Lodgings

Character: Small townhouse hotel in a charming off-the-beaten-track town within easy reach of everything in central Italy. Advantages: The excellent location -- equidistant from Florence, Rome, Assisi and Siena -- makes this one of the few places where you can stay in Tuscany and sightsee without a car. Choose from five restaurants within a few blocks' distance. Location: In the heart of Chiusi, which is 6 km from the autostrada exit. Also, at the bottom of the hill in the modern part of town, is Tuscany's major train stop. It's a tiny station, but every train that goes from Florence to Rome stops here. Very nearby are Montepulciano, Pienza, and the spa town of Chianciano. Assisi and Cortona are under an hour (by car or bus); train to Siena, Florence or Rome in 40 to 90 minutes. Click here to see a map. Size: Only 6 rooms, including singles, doubles, superior doubles and one triple. Features: Tile floors, brand-new wrought-iron beds, top-quality linens, mini-bar, air conditioning, direct-dial telephone, satellite TV, private bathrooms with shower, toiletry set, robe, and hair dryer. Internet point in the lobby. Price includes breakfast. Minimum stay: One night. Disadvantages: No elevator (but there are three rooms that can be reached by climbing only 4 steps). Car needed: No (you will need to take a taxi from the station when you have luggage - it costs about 5 Euro).

Chiusi is among our favorite Tuscan hilltowns. One of the reasons we like it so much is that almost no one has ever heard of it, which means that tourists are few and far between, a true rarity in Tuscany. Some guidebooks even disparage this little village, but we bet it's because their writers have never been there. Anyone who stops in comes away very pleasantly surprised indeed. Here are some of the reasons why.

To begin with, Chiusi is a logistical wonder. It is five minutes from the autostrada, exactly halfway between Rome and Florence (1'20" to each). It has a train station, and not the usual out-of-the-way-goes-to-nowhere train station you find in Tuscany. Every major fast and slow train between Northern Italy and Southern Italy stops here. What this means is that you can actually stay in Chiusi without renting a car. Of course, if you do have a car to make your day trips easier, all the roads are right at your doorstep and there are two public parking lots right inside the historical center of town - which is otherwise a pedestrian-only haven.

Okay, so it's in the right location but is there anything to see and do there? Well, Chiusi was once the capital of the Etruscans, the mysterious people who fought and defeated the Romans. Although their civilization was obviously very evolved, they left behind almost no traces of it except for their tombs. The elaborate burial chamber of the Etruscan king, Porsenna, has attracted the attention of countless architects throughout the centuries, and it was believed to have been in Chiusi, beneath the blessedly small and very well organized museum. The so-called Etruscan catacombs, a fascinating underworld of illuminated tunnels which lies below the village and can be visited, are thought to have led to the missing mausoleum. Nearby is the Tomb of the Monkey, a beautifully painted tomb that was only recently opened to the public. The other major jewel in town is the cathedral, one of Tuscany's earliest. Dating back to the 6th century, its majestic interior still has the original 18 marble columns and mosaic floors. It also contains a very clever cycle of faux mosaics, which look like those in Ravenna but were actually painted on the apse in the 19th century. Because the building is never, ever crowded, a person can truly enjoy the spiritual atmosphere that the paleo-Christian churches were meant to inspire. And we believe that few sights in Tuscany are as pretty as the tiny cathedral square bathed in amber light each evening after the sun sets.

The amber lamplight and quiet streets help give Chiusi the characteristic that makes us enjoy it so much: although it is historical, it is also a real town. "Tourists" set their sites on attractions, and that is why so many towns in Tuscany belong to them, and not to the residents. "Travelers" want to absorb history and culture in an authentic way, something that is entirely possible in Chiusi. The local people are kind and friendly, proud of their illustrious heritage and happy to share it. You will meet them in the town's five fantastic restaurants, which include a 24-hour bistro, a charming little enoteca, a gourmet eatery that has made every "best restaurant" list for Tuscany, and two superb trattorie (which is where the locals eat, of course!). You'll see the mothers trundling their kids off to school in the morning, and you'll pass them as you join the ritual passeggiata in the late afternoon. Stay here a couple of days and you will know how it feels to be a Tuscan.

The one thing Chiusi lacked until the spring of 2002 was a great little inn. But of course, that problem has now been solved by Casa Toscana B&B, which entirely occupies a historic building overlooking the quietest square in town. It has only six guestrooms, each with its own private bathroom with shower, hair dryer and robe. On the ground floor, the home's original kitchen has become a sunny room where breakfast is served, and across the hall is a cozy sitting room with couches and tables and chairs. Three of the guestrooms can be reached by climbing only 3 or 4 steps; the others are on the second and third floors of the building. They all have pretty tile floors, brand-new wrought-iron beds, top-quality linens, air conditioning, mini-bar, direct-dial telephone, and satellite TV. An Internet point in the lobby can be used by appointment, and your host Franco is always happy to help you plan your days, whether you speak English, German, French or Italian.

For this property:
Some distances from Casa Toscana:
Montepulciano - Km 25
Pienza - Km 35
Montalcino - Km 50
Cortona - Km 38
Siena - Km 80
Firenze - Km 120
Assisi - Km 70
Orvieto - Km 52
Roma - Km 160

If you are in the area on the Friday before July 3, you will be able to participate in the local festival, which includes a historic evening race. A colorful pageant, including flag-throwers, drummers and games, is held every year during the first week of September. And during the last week of September, each neighborhood opens its ancient wine cellars and invites all comers to enjoy the fall bounty.

Click here for information about half-day cooking lessons, pizza lessons or wine lessons nearby.

Click here for information about private transfers to the property.

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