La Bandita Townhouse

Architecture Ernesto Bartolini & Arianna Pieri

Architecture Ernesto Bartolini & Arianna Pieri

Florentine architects Ernesto Bartolini and Arianna Pieri peeled back many centuries of previous renovation work...

to expose original beams and stone walls, brilliantly transforming a dilapidated 500-year-old convent into a comfortable modern contemporary space. No exterior changes were made in the renovation, and a not a single square meter of space was added. The hotel’s entrance is a long, welcoming corridor of exposed vaulted brickwork that had been plastered over for centuries.

Interior design Ernesto Bartolini & Arianna Pieri

Nuns’ cells have been replaced by 12 large guestrooms with wood-beam ceilings and centuries-old stone walls.

All the rooms have high ceilings, and many feature large windows that allow one to gaze down medieval alleys. Most of the rooms feature a combination of modern and ancient: warm cream parquet wood floors meet stone walls to make visible the DNA of this old structure. From the top floor suites, one has sweeping views across the Val D’orcia to Montepulciano, Montefollonico, and Monte Amiata.