La Bandita Townhouse

La Bandita isn't just another Tuscan hotel hotspot in the Val d'Orcia – but then again, owner and pioneer John Voigtmann didn’t start out in hospitality. He spent years in New York’s music industry, working as a talent executive at Sony, rubbing shoulders with headline acts and shaping soundtracks. But the lure of Tuscany’s slow rhythms proved stronger than the noise of the industry. Swapping tour schedules for rolling hills, John carved out a new kind of stage – one where design, history, and hospitality play in harmony.

A meticulous restoration of a 500-year-old convent in the heart of UNESCO-listed Pienza. Working with Florentine architects Ernesto Bartolini and Arianna Pieri, John carefully peeled back the layers of time – revealing original wood-beamed ceilings, centuries-old stone walls, and vaulted brickwork hidden beneath generations of plaster. The result? A stripped-back, authentic reinvention that lets Pienza’s history breathe while introducing a contemporary edge.

Inside, parquet wood floors meet raw stone textures, softening the historic drama with modern elements – floating beds, freestanding stone tubs, and sleek Italian furnishings. The rooms are bright, airy, and sharply minimalist, accented with signature splashes of lemon yellow for warmth. Some overlook Pienza’s cobbled alleys, while top-floor suites frame breathtaking Val d'Orcia views stretching to Montepulciano, Montefollonico, and Monte Amiata.

Outside, the courtyard garden and terrace serve as John’s Tuscan living room – a place where guests linger over aperitivos, soak in the sun, and chat into the small hours.

Boutique with a Side of Soul

For John, food is a social scoreline – meals should be unpretentious, local, and deeply satisfying. The Townhouse Caffe nails that ethos with a menu of farm-to-table feasts, pecorino from Pienza, hand-rolled pasta, and Chianti reds that tell the story of Tuscany in every sip. The open kitchen blurs the lines between guest and host, while breakfast is a ritual of village-sourced delights with a contemporary twist.

The Tuscan Dream

Smack in the centre of Corso Rossellino, La Bandita Townhouse is woven into the fabric of Pienza, just steps from Palazzo Piccolomini and the Cattedrale dell’Assunta. Outside, life spills into the streets – locals meet to chat, market stalls brim with spices, pecorino, and fresh produce, and trattorias hum with the clink of glasses. Beyond, the rolling expanse of Val d’Orcia unfolds like a painting, stretching towards the hills of Montepulciano and Monte Amiata.

Rock & Roll to Renaissance