Hot List Hotels 2009
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The Sienese monks who stopped at the Borgo Santo Pietro more than 800 years ago wouldn't recognize the place today. Danish owners Claus and Jeanette Thottrup have rebuilt the old stone exteriors and added chandeliers and beautiful trompe l'oeils to the extensive public areas and six guest rooms (another three garden suites are planned for this summer). The effect is elegant, with useful modern touches: Oil paintings open to reveal flat-screen TVs, an extensive DVD library is on hand, and claw-foot tubs look plucked from an Italian castle. Rose-lined pathways lead to secluded benches, a lovely orto (vegetable garden) that provides the restaurant with its greens, and just-planted fruit orchards. Danish chef Thomas Brieghel is only 28, but his tasting menus at the standout restaurant are already generating talk of a Michelin star.
When to go: Time your visit with Siena's Palio horse race, run on July 2 and August 16 this year; the hotel plans special outings for the event.
Which room to book: The Via del Pellegrino, with its fresco of the pilgrims' path, will remind you of the spot's past.
Information may have changed since date of publication. Please confirm details with individual establishments before planning your trip.
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