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only half the allure. The elegant proprietor has fitted out her modern hotel with
a careful eye to style and comfort. There are fresh-cut flowers and a collection of
antique porcelains in the pretty lobby, with Liberty-style accents like a chandelier
and lots of curves, and antiques gracing the breakfast room and bar. Breakfast, by
the way, is something of an occasion, served on china and including fresh pastries,
excellent coffee, and a selection of teas and juices; in summer, you can take it in
the pretty little terra-cotta courtyard. The tile-floored rooms are comfortably
modern with modular furnishings but natty grace notes, including in some dra-
matic headboards emblazoned with reproductions of Correggio frescoes. The
bathrooms are clean, if cramped, and fitted with box showers.
€€
Tucked into the quiet warren of little streets and squares just off the south-
east corner of Piazza Garibaldi, the pleasant Button
(Borgo Salina, 7; % 0521-
208039) is usually filled with European tourists. The rooms cost
5
6 extra
for breakfast) and are large and serviceable, though a little somber, with dark flo-
ral wallpaper and spartan modern furnishings. The bathrooms are nicely tiled and
have stall showers. Single travelers enjoy quarters much larger than the ones to
which they are usually relegated, with “French beds” that are quite a bit wider
than standard single beds. A few of the doubles have small balconies overlooking
a piazzetta behind the hotel. The Cortesi, who run the place, are most accommo-
dating, and you're always welcome to join them in the lobby lounge to watch a
soccer match.
Accommodations near the Station
€€ The Brenta (Via G. B. Borghesi, 12; % 0521-208093; www.hotelbrenta.it)
is a perfectly decent fallback if the more atmospheric places in town are full. The
lobby is a little drab, but don't let that put you off. The English-speaking manage-
ment is very helpful and eager to point visitors to sights and nearby restaurants.
Surroundings brighten considerably as you go upstairs. Guest rooms— 75 to
97 (
5 for breakfast—are large and quite up-to-date, with func-
tional modern furniture and new bathrooms with stall showers. Most face side
streets and are extremely quiet.
85 per double, plus
€€€€ No-nonsense and businesslike are the terms that come to mind to
describe the Astoria Executive (Via Trento, 9; % 0521-272717; www.piuhotels.
com), down the street to the left as you exit the station. The facade is sheeted in
blue-tinted glass, and everything inside sports a contemporary decor (doubles go
for 180). This doesn't mean the Astoria isn't welcoming—if you don't mind the
complete absence of old-world charm. It's an excellent choice for wood-veneer
cabinetry, firm low-slung beds, and efficient bathrooms. Double sets of double-
glazed windows ensure a good night's sleep, even on the side facing the railroad
tracks. (Honest: There's barely a whisper when a train passes.)
€€€
Around the corner and 2 blocks away, the hotel maintains a residence,
Liberty (Piazza Salvo d'Acquisto, 15; % 0521-227100), intended mainly for long-
term stays—but the studios (
135 for two), and two-room
apartments ( 170 for two), each with TV, telephone, and kitchenette, can also
be rented by the night. It's called “Liberty” after the building's Art Nouveau
115 for two), lofts (
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