Dimora storica - Palazzo Barabesi

The owner asks that you let him know at least half an hour before you arrive, but he really means exactly half an hour before you arrive, so that he can meet you there to let you in. The apartment has a well equiped kitchen. The WiFi extender in apartment 4 was unable to pick-up a good signal from the main router, resulting in no usable WiFi in the main room of the apartment. The only usable signal was with my computer or phone setup on the kitchen hotplates/hob. There were a few maintenence issues while I was there such as lamps broken or failed, and a faulty safety valve on the coffee pot.

A modern apartment in an old building right on the main (pedestrian) route from Piazza del Sale - where the bus from the station drops you, to the centre of Siena. The bus is about 10 minutes walk away. That makes the location really good - not too far from the bus, but the big sights are easy to find (just follow the flow of tourists!) Clean, well equipped and comfortable; a nice personal welcome from the host on arrival - he was also able to arrange for us to leave suitcases at the property after our checkout and pick them up later. Wifi seems to have been upgraded relatively recently and is excellent. We had the loft, which has a tiny balcony and window on a light shaft - whilst it's not a big issue, it does feel a bit strange to have no outside view!