Nicchio In-Town Apartment - Family Lodgings - Historic Residence

Character: Spacious and elegant apartment in a former convent in the center of town. Advantages: Good in-town location; very comfortable; extremely spacious; English-speaking managers. Location: In Siena, in the San Martino quarter. Piazza del Campo and the Cathedral are both a five-minute walk. Shops and restaurants are right downstairs; public parking is a few blocks away. Click here to see a map. Size: Sleeps 5; living/dining room, separate kitchen, one room with double bed, one room with twin beds, one room with single bed, one bathroom with shower, one bathroom with tub. Features: Antique furnishings, terracotta floors and wood-beamed ceilings. TV, refrigerator/freezer, dishwasher, oven, washing machine, hair dryer. Minimum stay: Three nights. Disadvantages: No telephone or elevator (it's 40 steps up from street level). Car needed: No.

If you are planning to stay in Siena for a few days, you are no doubt well versed in this very historical Tuscan town's raison d'être, the Palio. What to some (read: the rest of the world!) may seem to be no more than a very colorful bi-annual pageant capped off by the most unruly horse race on the planet is, for the Sienese, a lifelong commitment and the basis upon which communities have been maintained for over five centuries now. Fierce loyalty still reigns amongst the residents of the city's 17 contrade (historic neighborhoods), whose boundaries have not changed during all those years. So, if you stay a week in this elegant apartment, you'd better get used to being a de facto member of the Nicchio contrada for the rest of your days. That's pronounced nee-kyo, and it means The Shell.

Allow us to say that the Sienese seem to be a bit obsessed with drawing territorial boundaries. Not only did they carve up the town into contrade, they also trisected it into terzi. Nicchio is located in the Terzo di San Martino, about 300 yards from Piazza del Campo, on the second floor of a lovely old palazzo. The building was formerly a convent, as attested by the arches on the ground floor and in the central courtyard around which you will climb 40 steps to get home.

The Nicchio apartment is bright and comfortably furnished mostly with antiques. The very large 1400-square-foot area (which seems even larger thanks to the soaring wood-beamed ceilings) consists of a spacious living room with sofa and TV; a separate dining room with an antique table for six; a well-equipped kitchen with oven and range, fridge/freezer, dishwasher, and washing machine; a double bedroom; a twin bedroom; a single bedroom; one bathroom with shower and one bathroom with bathtub. Light sleepers will be delighted to know that all three bedrooms (and the living room) face the quiet courtyard. If there are only two people in your party, the owner is happy to lower the rent and close off two bedrooms and one bathroom. There is no telephone, but you can easily rent a cell phone, and an Internet point is right downstairs, next to the greengrocer's, the ice cream shop and a charming little moderately-priced restaurant.

T he apartment is a perfect base to explore the splendors of Siena, all within easy walking distance thanks to the wise urban planning policy of making almost all the center off limits to vehicles. The Gothic cathedral, one of the finest churches in Italy, dominates the highest point of the town, only five minutes' walk from the apartment. Along the way you will pass a wide array of boutiques, bookshops and restaurants to meet your daily needs as a Nicchiaiolo (pronounce THAT neek-yai-oh-lo - if you can!).

Vital information:
On Via Pantaneto, close to the Campo and the nearest parking lot
Second floor (no elevator)
Three bedrooms (sleeps 5)
One bathroom with bathtub and hair dryer
One bathroom with shower
Separate kitchen with refrigerator/freezer, dishwasher, oven and burners
Washing machine
Iron and board
TV
Central heating

THE FOLLOWING DATES ARE ALREADY BOOKED IN 2010:
Aug. 4-16, Sept. 7-10, Sept. 18-26, Oct. 9-22, Nov. 22-25

For this property:
Prices include: all taxes, electricity, water, gas, one change of linens per week and final cleaning.
Metered heating is available approximately October 15-March 30.
A baby bed is available for 20 Euro/week, including linens. This cost is paid in cash in Italy.

Check-in: 4-7pm
Check-out: by 10am
Refundable security deposit: 200 Euro or US$200

Click here for information about private transfers to the property.

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