HOSTARIA IL RIALTO In Siena

31/05/2025: Magical. Amazing building. Lovely rooms. Great staff. A perfect couple of days to start our Tuscany vacation. The breakfast was really special with the scent of the fireplace and a wonderful range of options. Shout out to the bartender Riccardo. He treated us so well. The hotel is set in the hills outside Siena and is a really nice walk in to town.

08/05/2025: Within the walls of the Certosa di Maggiano, Blessed Pietro Petroni spent his life, which was studded with miraculous events, harsh discipline and exemplary obedience. Born in Siena in 1311, Pietro stood out from a young age for his dedication to others, dedicating himself to caring for the sick and lepers of the city. At the age of seventeen, against the will of his parents, he embraced the life of a hermit in the Certosa di Maggiano. During his monastic life, Pietro Petroni was the protagonist of numerous mystical visions and prodigious events that gave him the reputation of a miracle worker. His intercession, according to popular devotion, was believed to be capable of performing miracles, attracting crowds of faithful and increasing his celebrity. However, the fame and clamor that came from it contrasted with the severity and quiet of the Carthusian life, marked by silence and meditation. At the invitation of the Prior of the Certosa, Pietro Petroni, in an act of exemplary obedience, decided to renounce his thaumaturgical activities, so as not to disturb the harmony of the monastic community. The renunciation of miracles did not compromise the sanctity of Pietro Petroni, which manifested itself in a life of profound devotion and rigorous discipline. His fame, although deprived of the clamor of the miraculous, spread silently, fueling the veneration of the faithful. Affected by obesity, Pietro Petroni died prematurely in 1361. His nickname, "Petrone", derived from his disproportionate size, became almost a surname, sealing his memory as a champion of obedience, a virtue that, in the eyes of the faithful, took on a value equal, if not superior, to that of miracles. Hagiographic tradition tells that, fifteen days before his death, Pietro Petroni confided some prophecies to his brother Gioacchino Ciani, including the condemnation to hell of some personalities, including Boccaccio, if they did not change their conduct of life. Another legend tells that the monk cut off the index finger of his left hand to make himself unfit for the priesthood, considering himself unworthy of such an honor. Pietro Petroni is venerated as blessed by the Catholic Church and his liturgical memorial is May 8. The painter Daniele Crespi depicted him with scissors in his hand, a symbol of his act of self-harm, in the Certosa di Garegnano in Milan.