B&B Residenza Celeste

The garden is lovely and well cared for, and you can have a generous, high-quality breakfast there. The B&B is spotless, and the owner is very kind and friendly. It’s become my regular place whenever I come back to Alezio.

The room itself was roomy, with nice proportions, a lovely bathroom, a large bed with towels, a desk area, and a big wardrobe with a cube refrigerator inside for chilling drinks. But at €125 a night, it felt far too expensive. The advertised breakfast was one of the main reasons I booked, yet we were told there wasn’t any. We were woken by street noise, with cars and scooters passing and people talking loudly until 2 a.m., then again around 5:30. There was no soundproofing, and closing the small openings didn’t help. The next morning we noticed a sign on the desk mentioning a morning snack, but apparently not for us. We were meant to check out at 10:30, but decided to leave. No one was there, so I knocked on a door and found a pleasant, friendly young woman. I told her we were leaving and explained how little sleep we’d had because of the noise. She apologized and confirmed there’s a lot of traffic on that street. We thanked her and continued our Italian adventure. I definitely wouldn’t recommend this place. Our first WhatsApp exchange with Nicolas was friendly. We’d booked that same day while exploring Italy without making reservations in advance, and I chose to use Booking.com for security, to see the photos, and especially because the breakfast looked amazing. Breakfast matters to me! We found a parking space right in front of the residence, though spaces are scarce or far away, so watch out. A young man opened the door with a smile. I thought he was Nicolas, but it was his brother Stefano. He was stiff in his manner and speech, perhaps that’s just his personality, and the welcome felt cold despite the smile. He went straight to passports and payment in cash. The website did say payment was due on arrival, which was fine, but not that it had to be cash with no credit cards. Maybe that’s because it’s a small family-run place. I insisted a little and paid through PayPal as a precaution. We also didn’t get to see the inviting exterior shown in the photos. We arrived late, around 7:50 p.m., and showed Stefano a restaurant we’d found online. He didn’t know it, and instead directed us somewhere else, kindly making a reservation for us. When we got there, they said we had only an hour to eat. Another disappointment. We went along with it because we were stuck and didn’t know where else to go. Back in the room, there was no shower gel or shampoo, only hand soap, which we used instead. We made do with what we had. You might wonder why we didn’t ask, but we expected everything to be provided, and I don’t like asking even when it’s my right. Stefano’s cold, rigid manner didn’t encourage us to ask either. Be warned, despite the booking site photos and reviews praising breakfast, they don’t offer it.

Residenza Celeste felt like my grandmother’s house, with antique furniture, a garden with orchards, and impeccable cleanliness. The owner was very kind. Breakfast is at the bar, though I think it would be great to have it in the garden.

The garden is wonderful, and the owner is friendly and attentive. It’s a welcoming house with original furnishings and an interesting family history. One of the bathrooms has incredible design.