Casa Conoscenti Bologna

Room Type: The Turrita Room (Junior Suite)

Hotel Amenities: On-site Restaurant and Cocktail Bar

Average Cost per Night: €254 (incl. fees, for 4 nights)

Star Rating: ☆☆☆☆

My Rating: 8/10

What this modern three-room guest house lacks in amenities, it makes up for with design and plenty of charm to spare. Housed in an historic 14th century palazzo once belonging to a wealthy Bolognese family, Casa Conoscenti sits on a quiet side street close to the city center. A beautifully tiled portico leads to grand wooden door, which opens into a small courtyard. The courtyard contains fragments of an ancient city defensive wall which harken back to medieval times—spillover from the Museo Civico Medievale housed next door.

After entering the guest house, a tiny (but chic) lobby and check-in desk sits sandwiched between the kitchen and dining room/bar of the on-site restaurant, I Conoscenti, where I grabbed a light dinner one night consisting of a tomato and peach burrata and a delicious glass of Pecorino. The main was decent, but the complementary focaccia and lemon pepper hummus amuse-bouche and the melon, fig, and lemon sorbet trio for dessert were the standouts. (A small note here: the location of my room above the restaurant meant that its music and noisy guests were audible, though not to the point of serious disturbance, until its midnight closing time.)

My room, named the "Turrita" in reference to Bologna's many 12th and 13th century towers, featured towering ceilings and plenty of space. It also offered a Nespresso machine, tea kettle, and fig biscuits (complementary) and a small mini bar (not complementary). I made use of the small common space with a table just down the hall from my room for some laptop working—although I will note that the Wifi reliability left a little to be desired.

All in all, Casa Conoscenti was exactly the type of hidden gem I look for when traveling: a beautifully modern, well-designed, and quietly intimate stay in a building full of local history.