Siena hotels

★★ Cannon d'Oro - Amazingly, one of the best hotel deals is on the main drag, Cannon d'Oro, where the big rooms mix some nice antiques with the functional pieces. This is usually the first place in town I call when I need a room. I even put my entire Boy Scout troop up here during our big European trip in the summer of 2000. Via Montanini 28, tel. +39-0577-44-321, www.cannondoro.com. Double rooms from €40 online.

★★ Hotel Duomo - The Hotel Duomo is aptly named, lying just south of the cathedral—halfway between the Campo and the Duomo, in fact—in a 12th-century palazzo that were army barracks in the Middle Ages. That said, the only touches of antiquity remaining are a Renaissance staircase and the brick basement breakfast room. Rooms are modern, functional, and carpeted. Definitely request one of the 12 “panoramic” rooms with Cathedral views. Via Stalloreggi 34–38, tel. +39-0577-289-088, www.hotelduomo.it. Double rooms from €79 online.

★ Hotel Antica Torre - The Landolfo family's Hotel Antica Torre fills a 16th-century tower, which means the beamed-ceilinged rooms can be a bit snug, but all feel cozier than small, and those on the upper floors are a bit larger plus enjoy better views across roof tiles to green fields beyond. A travertine stairway, lacy curtains and cotta floors in the rooms, and its location in a quiet residential neighborhood (still only a ten-minute walk from Il Campo) combine to make this a worthy moderate splurge. Via di Fieravacchia 7, tel. +39-0577-222-255, www.anticatorresiena.it. Double rooms from €77 online.

Hotel Chiusarelli - Two royal palms guard the neoclassical 19th-century façade of the villa-turned-hotel Chiusarelli near San Domenico. Perhaps the best feature of this modernized hotel, especially for those traveling by public transport, is that it's just a bock from the bus terminus, yet still only about 15 minutes stroll from Il Campo along one of Siena's main shopping streets. The road does allow cars, so request a room on the back for optimum quiet--unless you'll be here on a Sunday. The back overlooks the local soccer stadium; bring binoculars for prime, freebie seats for the games. Viale Curtatone, tel. +39-0577-280-562, www.chiusarelli.com. Double rooms from €63 online.

Hotel Bernini - Tiny Hotel Bernini is a home away from home. The nine guest rooms are fitted with a rummage sale of antiques set on patterned tile floors, and are separated from the family's half of the apartment only by a curtain. Nadia will let you onto their roof terrace overlooking St. Catherine's house, and Mauro often serenades guests with his accordion. Via della Sapienza 15, tel. +39-0577-289-047, www.albergobernini.com. Double rooms from €85 with bath, from €65 without bath.

Alma Domus - A bit institutional but remarkably cheap, Alma Domus is run by nuns who unfortunately insist upon an 11:30pm curfew. The basic rooms lack amenities save A/C in a few, and the phones can only receive calls (though this may change). The best have balconies overlooking the striped Duomo across a wide gully. Via Camporeggio 31, tel. +39-0577-44-177, www.hotelalmadomus.it. Double rooms from €65.