La Bandita Townhouse is a 12-room luxury boutique hotel tucked inside the historic center of Pienza, a tiny renaissance jewel of a village in southern Tuscany. The building is a rambling renaissance-era palazzo where nuns have lived for over 500 years. With its main door on the Corso Rossellino, a cobblestone lane, the property itself blends in completely with the Renaissance character of the rest of the village, its façade indistinguishable from the attached buildings. No exterior changes were made in the renovation, and a not a single square meter of space was added. Rather than drop a new formal hotel into an old town, we aimed to create a comfortable, fun, and stylish place to relax, eat well and get caught up in the daily rhythms of everyday life here: the stillness of the main piazza in the morning, the old ladies making their daily shopping trail, and the evening hum of bustling trattorias.

The Rooms Inside, the lines of nuns’ cells have been replaced by 12 large guest rooms that bring together contemporary design with wood beam ceilings, parquet floors, and exposed stone walls that are centuries old. All the rooms have queen size beds, high ceilings, luxury fixtures and air conditioning. Many have large windows onto the stone lanes where village life is played out daily. From the top floor suites, you have sweeping views across the Val D’orcia to Montepulciano, Montefollonico and Monte Amiata. Common areas include a large open library with an honor bar and reading chairs. Behind the property is a private walled medieval garden, that forms a unique oasis inside the village, like a green piazza.