Stay at a World Heritage Site with 1,400 Years of History: A Unique Inn in Siena, Italy

Text & Photos /Paperclip. Food & Photography Joy

I was planning to join a local tour of the Tuscan countryside and several small towns in Siena, so I booked a one-night stay here at the highly rated Al Mercato B&B. This is a family-run guesthouse that also operates a restaurant, and it’s located just a two-minute walk down a road near Il Campo, yet in a very quiet area—my first impression was excellent.

Since I arrived early in the morning, I thought I’d try my luck leaving my large backpack at the inn and go out for a stroll. Unexpectedly, the check-in office doesn’t open until 10 AM, so I had to wait a bit.

At 9:57 AM, a lady pulled up on her motorcycle right in front of me, gave me a lazy wink, took off her helmet, parked the bike, and then opened the office door. I went in, explained that I was a guest with a reservation and wanted to leave my bag first before checking in later. She checked and found that no one had stayed in my room the previous day, so it was ready for immediate occupancy—I checked in right away.

The lady initially seemed a bit cold and distant, but as we chatted, I realized she was actually very friendly and proactive in offering helpful information. I asked her about local tours in the Tuscan countryside, and she recommended several options. I chose one that was departing that very afternoon and happily asked her to book it for me. She mentioned she’s a night owl, so coming to work in the morning hadn’t quite woken her up yet. That’s when I finally felt comfortable joking, “No wonder you looked sleepy the first second I saw you.”

After everything was settled, she led me to a large gate diagonally across the street—that’s where the actual guesthouse and restaurant are located. She told me that the building I was staying in is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with a history of 1,400 years. “Really?! That’s so cool!”

In the morning, everyone leaves their trash outside their doors to be collected by the garbage truck.

After explaining the purpose of the three keys, she took me to my room. As soon as I opened the door, I gasped—it was super spacious, with a large bed, big table, huge wardrobe, large mirror, and even a small fridge. The room also has air conditioning, which is great for not overheating in the summer.

The ceiling features exposed wooden beams from the original structure, retaining a medieval charm. Because it’s a World Heritage building, regulations prohibit altering the original architectural framework. There are restrictions on how large holes can be drilled into walls, so only minimal interior renovations are allowed. For example, finding an air conditioner with the smallest possible drilling requirement was quite a challenge. In my Florence apartment, the landlord said drilling wasn’t allowed either, so they only installed a portable mini air conditioner.

When I booked the room, I knew the bathroom was shared (shared bathroom), but I later found out it’s just located outside the room and isn’t actually shared with others. The bathroom facilities were very modern and comfortable to use.

Breakfast area.

Traveling in Italy, I’m already used to hotel breakfast buffets usually offering yogurt, juice, milk, coffee, fruit tarts, and croissants (called brioche here). Croissants come in plain versions or extremely sweet fillings such as chocolate spread, yellow fruit jam (citrus), red berry jam (strawberries and raspberries), and sometimes Nutella (chocolate hazelnut spread). This is quite different from my experience in Switzerland, where hotel breakfasts are typically much more varied. Aside from yogurt and drinks, there are many types of bread to choose from, but croissants are almost always plain, while other breads are mostly hearty, filling whole-grain options. Perhaps the optimistic nature of Italians and the pragmatic mindset of the Swiss can be glimpsed through their breakfast choices.

Coffee is made using a Lavazza coffee machine. Just let the staff know your preferred flavor, and they’ll prepare it.

A simple meal.

This B&B also runs a restaurant, located on the other side of the building, called La Finestra (“The Window”). Guests of the B&B receive a 10% discount.

After checking in, I headed to the tower Torre del Mangia on the square. I had a local tour in the afternoon, so I figured I wouldn’t go far and decided to have lunch at this restaurant. I ordered sage-filled pasta gnocchi (€8), sparkling water, and after the meal, I got an affogato (€6)—espresso with a shot of ice cream. Overall, the food quality was good, the prices reasonable, and it’s a lunch spot worth recommending.

They gave me a €2 discount at checkout. They didn’t actually confirm whether I was a guest, maybe they checked with the inn desk themselves, or perhaps they just trusted me.

All in all, I highly recommend Al Mercato B&B and their restaurant. Great location, fair prices, spacious and comfortable rooms.

[info]
Al Mercato B&B
http://www.almercatobb.it/chinese/home.html (Simplified Chinese version) You can search your preferred booking websites to see if this inn is listed.
Via Giovanni Duprè, 11, Siena
+39 0577 284076

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