Battistero Residenza d'Epoca

We were in Pistoia for about 10 days in the first half of June this year (2025), and split our stay at Battistero Residenze d'Epoca between two rooms. We booked too late to keep the top-floor room the whole time. It had magnificent views on three sides, including the back of the Baptistry, the dome of Santa Maria dell'Umilita, San Giovanni Fuoricivitas, and rooftops across town. The next room was a little smaller, as you’d expect, and looked out on just one side, but was equally nice. The room and bathroom layouts worked perfectly for us. The hotel is right between the Baptistry and Piazza del Sale (or Mercato), with Piazza del Duomo just a very short distance beyond the Baptistry. The market square has a lively fruit and vegetable market and lots of restaurants, including the hotel’s excellent, creative restaurant. There’s even an elevator that opens on both sides on the ground floor, so you can pass through from one side of the hotel to the other. The people working at this small hotel were very helpful. Breakfast wasn’t needlessly elaborate like at big city hotels, but there was plenty of what we wanted. The pastries, which I understand are made at the bakery owned by the hotel proprietor, were especially good. I’d stay here again if we return to Pistoia, and hope we do. Pistoia itself deserves a mention. None of our Italian friends had been there before. Some close Italian friends met us during our stay because we recommended it so strongly. None of our non-Italian friends even knew where it was. Florence gets the attention on one side, with Pisa and Luca on the other, so Pistoia remains a culturally rich Italian town that seems to exist almost entirely for its residents. People welcomed us kindly. I hope the people of Pistoia succeed in preserving their city and way of life. It’s a treasure.