Some may say that Hotel Albergo Cannon D'Oro is a hostel, rumored to be haunted. Some find it a…read moreunique rustic Tuscan experience. For me, it's a modest, incredibly romantic, one of a kind medieval inn hidden inside the center of the most enchanting city of all of Italy.
For my husband & I, it has long been our "secret" rendezvous place. Our most fondest romantic memories are connected to Siena & this hotel.
It's not fancy, it's 30ish modest rooms do not have much of anything except breathtaking views of the Tuscan countryside. There is however one mysterious room that used to be a dungeon.
Siena & The Cannon is full of mystery & legend. Viewed from a distance, it sits majestically high on a hill surrounded by a thick stone wall. It looks like a fairytale fortress, where once upon a time rose lipped maidens, knights & nobleman walked its tiny stone streets & danced in its palazzos.
I wasn't sure if I wanted to write this review as some special places should never be shared & some stories should never be told. But there are also some that should never be lost & as it should be, with any great secret place or story, if it is going to be told it should be told well.
To share its secrets, it's story, I will have to go back to the beginning, back to 1348, when Siena was decimated by the black death. The economy was destroyed, they lost half the population to the plague, Siena fell into decline & did not develop during the Renaissance like other Italian cities. So, somehow miraculously it was preserved from modern development & the destruction of war.
Up until 1262 it was a Palace that was owned by a noble family. The Bulgarini family. I first came to know this place many years ago when I was studying art & wrote my thesis on the artist, Bartolommeo Bulgarini of the same family. However, that is not the only artist that is connected to this legendary Hotel & former Palace.
After it changed hands, the next owners, Ghinibaldo di Saracino & his wife Sapia Salvani, are actually featured in Dante Alighieri's epic Italian poem, Divina Commedia. The Divine Comedy, is Dante's masterpiece, it's the best literal expression of medieval culture & considered one of the greatest works of world literature.
If that isn't inspiring enough, just take a walk outside the hotel. Walk via Montanini & via Banchi di Sopra, circle the whole city on tiny stone streets that are filled with exquisite shops, boutiques, cafes & restaurants. The best of the best of Tuscany's food & wine scene.
Hubby's favorite restaurant that serves 'floppy ear chicken' pasta (rabbit) is right down the street & I purchased my all time favorite pair of Italian leather boots right next door.
It's also a short walk to the most beautiful Cathedral in all of Italy, The Duomo di Siena & steps away from the Piazza del Compo, the stunning Gothic Palazzo Publico & The Torre del Mangia.
The same bell tower in the opening scene of the James Bond film, Quantum of Solace. In The Gladiator, when Maximus rides back home along a cypress lined path, that scene & all of Bertolucci's film, Stealing Beauty, were also filmed in Siena.
When you enter the hotels tiny front entrance, you walk down a long, damp corridor, the stone walls & dramatic dark history echo all around you. The rooms are clean, have modern baths & are quite comfortable, even though one rainy night my husband & I did almost freeze to death in the dungeon room.
However, that was entirely our fault. After a couple bottles of good Chianti, we eventually did open the closet door to get the wool blankets out. Then we made a awesome fort with them so we could hide from the ghosts of purgatory.
It's a 12th century old Palace, it can get vampire creepy at night. Although solid & fully intact, it has old creaking windows, exposed brick walls & stone arches protruding throughout, it is somewhat primitive. Wifi is available but forget your electronics & being connected.
It's precious gift is the resilient feeling it gives, to forget just for a while what century your in, loose yourself in the surroundings, to go back to that place of pure connection, of intimacy & raw emotional vulnerability, it recharges your very spirit.
The dungeon room, a oddly narrow room with super high ceilings has one tiny window. It is very high up. The only way to get up to the window to see out is to stand on someone else's shoulders. Good times.
Looking out, there are no words for the awe inspiring colors that can only be compared to French Fauvists. The painstaking beauty of Tuscany you will find all around you, it's almost heartbreaking.
It has a history, a story, a powerful kind of place where secrets shared, passions renewed & memories made can never be lost or forgotten.
When I leave, I only dream of coming back. I never say good-bye to Siena & The Albergo Cannon D'Oro, as there is only envy within good-bye's in such a remarkable place.
Highly recommend.
