Grand Hotel Milano - Chianciano Terme, Italy 

We visited Italy with a tour group, so we didn't have a choice as to where we stayed. That said, this hotel wasn't bad at all. The beds were a bit firmer than what I'm used to, and our room was cold at night, but we found that by running the hair dryer, it helped quite a bit. The staff doesn't speak English fluently, but Jon Paul, the owner, was quite patient as we tried to figure out the Italian word for blanket, while he tried to figure out the English word for the same. He finally gave up and asked us to show him, and when we did, he immediately got us another blanket. The hotel is about a block away from the Le Fonti Bar, where we ate about every night, mainly because the staff was so friendly, patient, and funny.

The Hotel Milano is a quaint hotel in the lovely town of Chianciano. It is staffed by a half dozen wonderful people who go out of their way to make you feel at home. Marco at the the front desk is helpful and considerate, Claudio in the kitchen and dining room makes great dinner suggestions and Jon Paul, who is the owner takes a very hands-on approach to ownership. It is a great home base for travel around Italy and perfectly situated on the quiet main road, close to shopping and great food. I was perfectly at home in the hotel lobby in my casual clothes watching monday night futbol with the other hotel guests. Views out of the rooms are amazing and look out on the Tuscany landscape. Beautiful!