The other reviews give a pretty accurate impression of the place.
The rooms themselves are adequate but remind me of college dormitory rooms from the 1960s and 70s. The furnishings are basic and institutional, but they do the job. Nothing inspiring, nothing awful here. A couple of the rooms (those on the west side on the second floor) have spectacular views over the city and valley. Those on the east side look at the funicular. The staff was friendly and spoke just about enough English to make basic communication possible.
We had breakfast twice at the hotel and found it surprisingly disappointing. For an outfit that runs a restaurant, they provide very little in the way of food or choice at breakfast. I think that breakfast is optional, and at the price, one should not even think of it. It bespeaks an attitude of getting by, rather than trying.
We didn't eat in the hotel restaurant, which was never very crowded (or noisy) and looked to us like a failing venture. We did (unfortunately) eat at Da Mimmo in the center of the High City. It's a large, evidently very popular but quite mediocre restaurant with spotty service. Maybe locals are treated better than we were.
A smaller wine bar, Cafe Donizetti (named after the local hero, of course) was terrific and a welcome break from the standard Italian meal structure. One could order little plates of wonderful local specialities to go with the terrific wines, rather than follow the antipasto-primi-secondi formula.
The High City is beautiful and compact. All the hotels up there are handy to all the sites, and it's easy to get down to the Low City and back up on a funicular. Il Gourmet is OK, but you might want to check out the alternatives.
- Il Gourmet Hotel
