The Ancient Certosa di Pontignano (Pontignano Charterhouse), a timeless location a few kilometres from Siena, is set on a hill looking over the city.
The Certosa di Pontignano, the official congress centre for the University of Siena and the ideal location for stays in Tuscany, dates back to 1343 and presents the traditional appearance of Carthusian monasteries.
In 1703, the Chapel of Saint Agnes, recognised the world over as a miniature Sistine chapel in the Siena area, was built inside the Certosa.
The main villa has superior rooms and a junior suite on the upper floor, while on the ground floor are the Certosa’s secondary halls such as “Sala del Focolare”, “Sala Biliardo”, “Sala dell’Affresco”, “Sala del Caminetto” and “Sala delle Bugie”, suitable for various types of events.
They all open onto the superb balcony overlooking the Italian-style garden, with breath-taking views over the countryside and the city of Siena. On the right, the garden includes the Certosa’s lemon house, a magical location adorned with aromatic plants.
The secondary rooms inside the Villa can all be reserved exclusively for special events, and their multi-purpose adaptability makes them suitable for many different activities and uses, such as aperitifs, dinners and weddings.
One of the oldest rooms is “Sala del Focolare” named after the enormous stone fireplace, still perfectly functional, inside the hall. In addition, this room has a private balcony looking over the Italian-style garden.
Next to this is “Sala Biliardo”. Another hall that is popular as a reading room for guests who pause here during their stay is “Sala dell’Affresco”, close to which there is “Sala della Loggia”. “Sala delle Bugie”, with its lavishly-decorated walls, is linked to “Sala del Caminetto”.
Lastly, “Sala Chianti”, named after the large fresco depicting the lands of the Chianti district, is furnished as the breakfast area.
The ancient residence has three different cloisters: the Main Cloister, the Lay Brothers Cloister and the Great Cloister, all interconnected.
The Main Cloister hosted the monks in their daily lives, and it includes a fine stone well dating back to the 14th century, with the entrance to the ancient church frescoed by Poccetti in the 16th century, a small “Sistine chapel” in the Siena area. From this first Cloister, there is access to the Villa and to our Restaurant.
The Lay Brothers Cloister was once used exclusively by the “Conversi” lay brothers after whom it is named, and today it hosts the congress halls, the wine cellar and our Bar.
Lastly, the Great Cloister, once dedicated to the friars’ cells, is now the location of nine apartments on two floors, each with views over Siena and all with their own private garden. Near the Great Cloister is the Ancient Oven, ideal for cooking large-scale recipes or batches of bread rolls and pizzas.