VesConte Residenza d'Epoca Dal 1533

This property is gorgeous, my husband and I loved walking around and looking at all the art. It’s 500 years old which is x3 the age of our origin country so it blew our minds. Breakfast was classically Italian and delicious.

The building is historical, with nice original features. Many nice reception rooms, private dining rooms ... When you see it from the street, there is no "hotel" sign, so you could drive or walk past it ... Most rooms are two flights up (high ceilings, long flights ...), no elevator and the carpet on the stairs is worn out. The breakfast room is dark, and the breakfast offering was very average. The team at breakfast was nice. We were six couples of friends on an alumni reunion, booked for two nights. One couple checked out after one night - their room was cold (end of September, highs around 27 Celsius during the day ...) and they hardly got any sleep. Their door did not lock properly. Another couple was also cold and slept with their coats on. We were in the Stendhal room - small, dark, with a very outdated bathroom. Temperature for us was ok. The beds are not great and need to be updated. The room next door on the side toward the plazza seemed a bit bigger than ours with more light. We would not recommend the Stendhal room. Coming back to the room after dinner was a bit "eery" with only one dim light in the big hall towards the room. Everyone in the group complained about the showers. Our shower head didn't fit into the "holder", so you had to hold it up by hand. The owners should invest - in the comfort of new beds, good locks, modern plumbing, a new carpet on the stairs ...

Built in 1533 I was impressed by the level of modern amenities such as air con (but the concrete walls kept it cool enough when it was over 30 degrees I didn’t need to turn it on). The wine tasting downstairs was excellent. Three local wines and nibbles for €16. Breakfast was a good selection of food. The coffee could improve. When people above flushed their toilet it sounded like mine flushed too which scared me numerous times. A free tour would be very welcome rather than having to pay when already a guest of the hotel and I was disappointed I could not drop my luggage off before check in. This is on the Camino route so the last thing Pilgrims want when they’ve just walked 22kms in the heat, is to keep carrying their bag until 2pm. A supermarket is very close so buy some water and snacks there.

Unfortunately breakfast only starts 8:30, which was to late for us (had to leave at 8:00 already). Everything else was perfect for us for a night in transit.

STUNNING HOTEL ! I was there for the Transitalia Marathon motorcycle event, I will go back, one bar in the lobby ! 600 year old building, Incredible !!!

At the risk of sounding trite, we live in uncertain times. The immediate past – the years before COVID – have acquired a preternatural patina of history, and history itself (and by that I mean the History of Grandest Memory) seems alternately forgotten or imbued with the spirit of the epic. And indeed, it is the adjectives grand, epic, oniric and magical that come to mind when describing VesConte – Palazzo Cozza Caposavi. The palace is a treasure throve for lovers of high culture. Art and literary history, as well as the historical prominence of the noble family that owns and runs it, can be found in every corner. It is a place of refuge for those who adore beauty in all its manifestations. The experience of walking up to the palace, encountering the most enchanting of welcomes, the magnificent and opulent rooms, and the thorough sense of comfort is nonpareil. One feels not just as a valued customer, but as a friend. One leaves the stifling sense of the real behind and is free to wallow in the luxury of greatness.

Vesconte is located in a historical building with finely preserved furniture and structure (e.g. original flooring). Rooms are furnished in style with limited functional additions respectful of the building past (e.g. no air conditioning, no lift with high narrow steps to access some of the rooms) and some minor details that need care. Unfortunately, constraints given by the building are not always addressed dutifully for contemporary standards. Our room and bathroom were quite dark  due to the lack of central lighting (if the ceiling is original why not adding a standard lamp to provide acceptable lighting?) with limited working space (the only table in the room was occupied by the TV set and ventilator), no wardrobe, no small fridge, just one paper bin in the bathroom. Staff and house rules were not particularly welcoming, with breakfast served only in the room as coffee and croissant (eventually staff provided tea with bread and jam as option, but why not considering partnering with a close by bar or with the winery in the same building?), staff suggesting to leave our luggage in the car because no-one could help us bringing it in the room (despite eventually providing help to reach the second floor), almost no common room (historical rooms are only for display, why not refurbishing one for guests?). Several minor details make this a lost opportunity for a great stay. Among others, a guided tour of the palace could be offered to the guests (only a discount is currently provided) and terms could be less sanctionatory (e.g. mentioning explicitly a penalty for check-out after 10.00 a.m.).

We arrived prior to others in our group and were told we had to wait for them to check-in (two separate reservations). We were finally able to not wait and were told they didn't want to have to go up the stairs twice. The woman at check-in was very unpleasant. The common areas of the palace and the rooms were just as expected - extraordinary! The instructions in the room remind you of what is "FORBIDDEN" while touring the property. Review the check-in policies because I believe they are stricter than other places in order to not man a desk. We are wine collectors and wanted to enjoy a bottle of wine in the evening but the rooms didn't have glasses. We thought it was lucky that there were some in the wine tasting room downstairs to only be reprimanded for entering the area. We were told twice, "don't do it again" in text and we had set off an alarm. The area is also where they had stored our wine. We would have loved to put for a tour of the place (which they offer) but felt so uncomfortable with their hostility. Our experience was a shame for the grand property. We did not encounter any other guests on the property. Also worth noting our room was significantly different than our friends (same room type).