The Casa delle Balie has reopened today inside the Santa Maria della Scala museum complex in Siena, the first and historic hostel dedicated to pilgrims who have traveled the Via Francigena and Via Lauretana since the Middle Ages as well as all the hiking tourists.
After a period of inactivity due to the Covid pandemic and then to that dedicated to temporary hospitality to Ukrainian women fleeing the war, the structure, owned by the Municipality and managed by Sigerico spa, returns to its normal activity. The Casa delle Balie, once a refuge for abandoned children, today a welcoming hub for travellers, sportsmen of the Strade Bianche and temporary inhabitants of sustainability, represents a point of reference for Siena, located in the charming alley of San Girolamo, in the historic center , a few steps from the Duomo. "Its history, which sees it rooted in the social and cultural fabric of the city as a place of welcome, is renewed today with its reopening", explains a note. An unmissable stop for those looking for an authentic experience in the heart of one of the most fascinating centers in Italy, a reference point for walking and slow tourism.
The structure has a capacity of 25 beds distributed in five rooms, available to guests with free wi-fi, an equipped laundry room, with washing machine and dryer, refrigerator, bathrooms with coin-operated showers, a terrace and a recreation room. "Thanks to the work done in synergy with Sigerico, we make available to pilgrims a place of welcome and hospitality, a location that is historic for us and imbued with a strong symbolic meaning", underlines the mayor of Siena Nicoletta Fabio. "I am very proud that from today the Casa delle Balie returns to open its doors to pilgrims and to be a point of reference for hiking tourism" highlights the president of Sigerico Spa Leonardo Tafani.
The Casa delle Balie extends over an area of 350 square meters.
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