Albergo La Rosetta

I had a very unpleasant stay at Albergo La Rosetta in Chiusi. I booked through Booking.com months ahead and asked for a quiet room, but got one next to the stairway and heard everyone coming and going. Reception was a mess from the start. I arrived mid-afternoon in heavy rain, and the person who eventually opened the door knew nothing about my booking. She called the receptionist in from home. Without her phone, the receptionist wrote down my passport details by hand, seeming unfamiliar with a passport. Later, once she had her phone, she asked for the passport again to photograph it, probably using Google to translate the information. The octogenarian owner gave me the wrong breakfast hours, and couldn’t help when I asked how to get to Montepulciano. When I left early the next day, I asked for breakfast to take away and got packaged toast with a tiny portion of marmalade. The regular breakfast was mostly prepackaged, stale food. Guests’ time is heavily regimented: I was asked to confirm a 30-minute breakfast slot from 8:00-8:30, even though breakfast was apparently served from 7:30-9:00AM. Coffee wasn’t offered, so I had to ask for an espresso. The room was awkward too. There was no outlet near the table, so I put the kettle on the bookshelf. The bathroom bulb was burned out, the TV started playing an emergency test alarm at 2:00AM, and I found long dark hairs on the blanket. There was more, including a sliver of soap that didn’t last through two hand washes. At breakfast at the end of my stay, the owner’s son looked at me and said only “2 euro cash,” without a please or thank you, instead of even greeting me or asking how my stay was. After I left my rating on Booking.com, he sent me a middle-finger emoticon on WhatsApp, taking advantage of the phone number I’d provided with the reservation.

Lovely family and staff, and they were very accommodating even though we didn’t speak Italian. The rooms are simple, but clean and pleasant, and it’s excellent value. Just a stone’s throw from the station.

When our car had trouble, the staff helped us find the best way to get home. They even let us stay an extra day without any fuss. The rooms are clean and nice, though don’t expect them to be large. It’s a very good, pleasant hotel.

A very nice breakfast is included, and the hotel is clean with tasteful updates. Chiusi train station is only a short walk away, so the location is perfect.