Hotel Pallotta

An old house next to the square

The Hotel Pallotta occupies a restored old house at Via San Rufino, 6, the street that climbs from Piazza del Comune towards the cathedral of San Rufino. It is a small family hotel: it is looked after by Elsa and, as the house tells it, the jam tart at breakfast has been made here for three generations. It shares a surname and family with the Trattoria Pallotta, which is a few steps away, under the arch of the Volta Pinta.

It is a good base if you are going without a car and want to have everything at hand: the main square with the temple of Minerva round the corner, Santa Chiara and San Rufino five minutes away, the basilica of St Francis a downhill walk and the Rocca Maggiore uphill. At night, when the excursion coaches leave, the centre is quiet.

The rooms

There is a single, doubles and, in an annexe building, a double and two quadruples, useful for families. They have terracotta floors, a private bathroom with a small shower tray, television, telephone and heating with its own thermostat; the website also mentions air conditioning and free wifi. Some have windows over the rooftops. On the third floor there is a viewing platform with views of the city, and on the first a corner with wifi and a computer. You can enter your room on your own, without depending on reception.

Breakfast is optional and is served from 8:00 to 10:00: tea, coffee, cappuccino, bread, cereals, jams, cheeses, yoghurt, juice and home-made tarts.

Getting there and parking

The centre is a limited traffic zone: you can drive in for a moment to unload your luggage and then leave the car outside. The hotel has no parking of its own. The nearest is the covered one at Piazza Matteotti, paid (€12 a day), about 300 metres away; there is also free parking on Via della Rocca, at a similar distance. Without a car, the bus that climbs from Santa Maria degli Angeli station drops you in the centre.

The conditions are simple: free cancellation up to one day before arrival, no deposit, and you pay on arrival. The website does not publish prices or check-in and check-out times; ask when you book on WhatsApp or from its booking system.