I know this has probably been asked a dozen times in the past year, but the net has been sooooooo s-l-o-w lately that I'd rather not dredge through a lot of past forum posts. The Newbies to Italy are looking for a good, moderately or cheaply priced place to spend a couple nights in Sienna. The guide books offer several good recommendations, but I like to supplement the books with the first-hand info and wisdom of you Fodorites. <BR>(If our trip is as much fun as the planning, it'll be great! Thanks to you all for your help to date.)

Mark, It sems to me that the Santa <BR>Caterina would be best for you. Hard to <BR>beat and reasonable. Good luck !

Mark-- <BR> <BR>I second the vote! I stayed at the Hotel Santa Caterina this past September while touring Tuscany. Lovely family owned place, the staff was wonderful. The hotel is right outside the walls of the city of Siena so you are just a few minutes away. The hotel also has a lovely garden that overlooks the hills-early mornings are especially lovely there. The rooms are varied in size and decor and each has a bath. This was also my first introduction to Italian ingenuity when in came to installation of bathroom fixtures in tiny spaces--all in all it adds to the adventure!! Enjoy your trip--Siena is a magnificent city. cheryl

Thanks for the info! We'll definitely look into it. Any other suggestions out there in forum-land? <BR>I didn't mean to imply by my posting that I'm too lazy or too good to go through past posts. I've been doing it a lot! But I (and everyone I know who's connected to the net on the east coast of the U.S.) have been having a terrible time logging-on to my isp, and an equally difficult time staying connected. I think half of the U.S. population must be on the net doing Christmas gift shopping. And the week after Thanksgiving?!!! Could hardly get on at all! Anyone else having this problem?

Stayed at Casa Colibri in '96, on the second floor of an old palazzo just 5 minutes down the road from the Campo. No lift, but very nice rooms. An older couple ran the pension and were very helpful, even though their English and our Italian was limited.

Hi, we stayed at the Chiusarelli 6 wks ago and enjoyed it. Tends to be a little modern which is a problem for some, but was very confortable, cost 165,000 with breakfast, and the location is tops. About 1/2 block from the bus station so it opens Tuscany up to easy day trips. The breakfast was the best we had in Italy and we found it very convenient to allow an early start if desired. They have a web site as well and we booked and reserved by e-mail. <BR> <BR> http://web.tin.it/chiusarelli/indexita.htm

Just returned from a great vacation in Italy. We stayed at the DOUMO in Sienna. Not particularly impressive at all. Both Fodors and the Tourist Info stand recommended it b/c of location, but it just wasn't charming and the night staff had the personality of a shoe.