Residenza D'epoca Palazzo Malfatti

“Great in high season as well as low”

The Palazzo Malfatti has become our residence of choice on our annual short visits to Massa Marittima, which have always been in low season when the rates are truly low. But this year we were obliged to make the visit at mid-year, paying twice the rate we pay in January -- and it is still wonderful… more

The Palazzo Malfatti has become our residence of choice on our annual short visits to Massa Marittima, which have always been in low season when the rates are truly low. But this year we were obliged to make the visit at mid-year, paying twice the rate we pay in January -- and it is still wonderful. This time we stayed in a different apartment, with window views of both the Piazza del Duomo on one side and up Via della Libertà on the other -- the heart of medieval Massa, as seen from its faithfully preserved private medieval palazzo. This apartment also has an upper level additional bedroom as well as kitchen, but without a bathtub. There were three fans provided to deal with summer's heat; one became non-functioning, but the back-up fan was adequate. Vittorio even provided us with a small container of milk, but we preferred not to eat the cereals in the kitchen and went to the café in the loggia facing the piazza for our morning cappuccino and pastries. (This doubles as a gelateria in the heat of the day.) We have the impression that Enrico and Vittorio, the co-owners, attend to much of the housekeeping themselves; there are just eight units to attend to. It's the joys of marinating in the Middle Ages while looking out each of the Gothic windows, of having spacious accommodations and attentive owners, and being in a jewel of a town as authentic and low-key as Massa that keep us coming back to the Palazzo Malfatti.

less

“Outstanding quality and value”

We stayed here for just one night - I wish it was longer! Firstly Massa Marittima is a hidden jewel of Tuscany. An elegant ancient town with many things to see but very few tourists. It’s quiet and peaceful. The B&B is in a central location, it’s an 800year old building and inside our “apartment” c… more

We stayed here for just one night - I wish it was longer! Firstly Massa Marittima is a hidden jewel of Tuscany. An elegant ancient town with many things to see but very few tourists. It’s quiet and peaceful. The B&B is in a central location, it’s an 800year old building and inside our “apartment” consisted of a large bedroom, bathroom, entrance hall, living area and kitchen. Incredible! Stylishly decorated, we felt like we were in heaven. There is a large common area downstairs, decorated with beautiful artwork. Both genetlemen we dealt with were extremely helpful. Wifi was excellent. Only tho g to. It’s is that there is no AC - a fan Is provided though. Many restaurants within a short walk - we went to one that was recommended by our host and it was top quality and a very reasonable price. We paid €80 for one night, by comparison with other places we have stayed this was exceptional value. Definitely recommended.

less

“Palacial accommodation”

This is simply a wonderful place to stay in ...we had a two bedroomed apartment with a lounge, good bathrooms and kitchenette....very open and welcoming environment...this little town doesn't get many foreign tourists but it should be on everyone's Tuscany visit

“Large, very comfortable apartment in an historical building in a great central location. There are though some issues.”

We stayed here for only one night near the end of June after going to Bracali restaurant for lunch. This was one of the accommodation recommendations on Bracali's website as their own accommodation was unavailable. Our apartment was very large with a foyer, a huge bedroom, a separate spacious lou… more

We stayed here for only one night near the end of June after going to Bracali restaurant for lunch. This was one of the accommodation recommendations on Bracali's website as their own accommodation was unavailable. Our apartment was very large with a foyer, a huge bedroom, a separate spacious lounge room, a separate kitchen, a large bathroom and an upstairs mezzanine floor with another bedroom although this was largely blocked off, understandably so, as there were only two of us staying there. The whole apartment was beautifully furnished with what looked to be antique furniture. There were tiled floors with lovely rugs, high ceilings and exceptionally large windows. The bedroom had a queen sized bed, firm but comfortable, two small bedside tables with lamps on either side of the bed, an ornate cane crib, a chair, a wardrobe and two flat tables on which to rest your bags. The foyer had a tall chest of drawers with a mirror on top and the combined lounge and dining room had a two seater lounge with a small coffee table and a dining table with five chairs (the sixth one being in the bedroom). The reasonably sized kitchen had a fridge, stove, a sink and several cupboards with plates, utensils and some basic pots and pans.The bathroom looked to have been newly renovated and had a walk-in shower (pressure very good), a bench seat, a toilet and a bidet (no bath). The whole apartment was very clean. There was no safe (that we found) but the WIFI was OK. The apartment was very centrally located in the pedestrian only Via Moncini which is very close to the Piazza Garibaldi, the main square in Massa Marittima where the Duomo is located along with lots of bars, cafes and restaurants. The above are all of the positives apart from the fact that our two hosts were very helpful. The issues are as follows: . car parking - the Palazzo is located in a pedestrian only zone (no reflection on the Palazzo but our GPS lead us all over the wrong places). Car parking, paid by the hour from early morning until early evening, is available at a small car park below the Piazza Garibaldi and the Duomo. You can unload your bags here and walk, approximately 200 metres, up the the small hill and across the cobblestoned Piazza Garibaldi to get to the Palazzo. You then go back and move your car further out of town or put more money in the meter. . Reception hours - reception is closed between 12-00 and 2-00 pm as well as during the evening when the front door to the Palazzo is also locked. We had been unaware of this fact and hadn't noticed it on the website. Accordingly we got caught out when we arrived just before 1-00 pm in the hope of dropping off our bags and getting changed to go to Bracali and found the doors shut. There was a phone number which we called and one of our hosts gratefully came and let us in and showed us where to park, which was very kind of him as it was obviously his lunch hour. What this also means though is that when you check in you are given three keys - one to the external door to the street, one to the door where the apartments are and one to your apartment. . Stairs - this wasn't a problem for us but may be for some people. There were 26 stairs from the foyer to the front door to the apartments then another four stairs before we reached our apartment. . air-conditioning. The Palazzos's website states that the apartments are air-conditioning. This is only partially correct as only some apartments have an air-conditioner in the bedroom. When we queried as to where the air-conditioning was we were told that it is only available in the premium apartments and they generously offered to move us. However when I went and had a look at the air-conditioning it was a floor based stand-alone unit that had a huge hose going into the back of it and it was only in the bedroom. My host said it was quite noisy and I could see how this could be. We decided to stay where we were and rely on two portable fans that we found. It was hot, particularly as you couldn't open the windows given the noise outside. I do understand the significant issues with putting air-conditioning in buildings that are this old but please do not put on your website that they are air-conditioned when they are not. I did notice that there were heaters. . Breakfast - The "continental" breakfast supplied consisted of two small bottles of water, two packets of processed juice, two packets of Corn flakes, some milk, tea, coffee, some biscuits and two very ordinary looking small pre-packaged croissants. Not that appealing but not a big deal given the number of cafes close by. In summary. A very good apartment but our hosts need to upgrade their website to accurately reflect what is on offer.

less