AUGUST 2000 – The swimming pool of the Hotel Il Convento, a former Franciscan Monastery, near Pistoia in Italy. © Mark Zanzig/zanzig.com
The story behind the image
The other day I shared an image of the hotel Il Convento, situated about 6 km (3.8 mi) outside of Pistoia in Italy. The hotel was a former Franciscan Monastery which made it pretty unique and definitely not your typical hotel. It had been transformed into a hotel in the 1970s and had been remodeled and tastefully decorated.
It had just 32 rooms – the former chambers of the monks – so the rooms appeared smaller and simpler than rooms at other hotels. Yet the hotel offered all amenities we would expect from a hotel in this category, including the large swimming pool right in front of the hotel that you see above.
One of the most amazing features of the hotel was its restaurant, though. We booked a table for the evening and enjoyed the views across the surrounding plains from the large patio. This, in conjunction with the excellent food and wines, was -especially on a warm summer evening- the perfect way for us to end a day in Tuscany.
Over the past 25 years a lot has happened. The hotel changed its name to Antico Convento Park Hotel et Bellevue and has seen serious renovation. However, at the time of writing it is unclear to me whether the hotel is still active. Google Maps says ‘permanently closed’ while the official website of the hotel is still up and running. Then again, when hitting the button “prenota ora” (“book now”) I get transferred to a booking engine where I cannot find the hotel.
All I can say is that – back in August 2000 – we massively enjoyed the tranquility of the location, the swimming pool, and the excellent food of the restaurant. If you still get a chance to book a room, I’d recommend it.
Design ideas
The high resolution image
| Capture Date | 28-AUG-2000 |
| Location | Pistoia, Italy |
| Camera | Canon AE-1 Program |
| Image Source | Fuji Slide Film |
| Digital Image Source | EPSON Perfection 4870 Photo |
| Digital Image Source Format | TIFF, 48 bits/pixel, sRGB |
| Edited Image Format | JPEG, 24 bits/pixel, sRGB |
| Edited Image Dimensions | 6554 x 4231 Pixels |
| Copyright | © by Mark Zanzig/zanzig.com |
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