Piccolo Hotel Etruria (Siena, Italy)

Via Donzelle 3. You can''t beat the location; it''s just a couple of steps up from the Campo. Clean, recently renovated, has a nice common room with a small balcony right over Banchi di Sotto - the final leg of the route towards the Campo taken by the constant parades of the ''''contrada'''' which won the latest ''''palio'''' (these last for a few weekends after the event, and can mean a group of thoroughly drunk stragglers accompanied by costumed drummers and banner-wavers at 2 in the morning - this is ''''not'''' frowned upon by the locals); as you go up the stairs to the rooms there is also a display of the riding accessories of the ''''Civetta'''', the small but very proud ''''contrada'''' where the hotel is located (it finally won the Palio in August of ''09 after waiting for more than 30 years, earning in the process the dubious distinction of being the ''''nonna'''', or "Grandma", as the contrada who haven''t won for the longest time). Doubles with bath around €90 in season; curfew at 1 am. Also, a slightly more downmarket cousin ''''''Tre Donzelle'''''' next door up at #5; a (smaller, more spartan) room will run you €10-€15 cheaper. Skip the restaurant in the basement, unless you are after the heavily promoted barrel-vault interior; food is unexceptional and overpriced.