When we asked locals in Tuscany "where should we go next?", people would say "Pienza" and then sigh. And so, we booked two nights in this hotel last minute on advice of TripAdvisor. Upon arrival - on a Saturday late afternoon, parking was difficult to find (note others have advised to be cautious of Pienza parking) and we learned we were on the opposite side of town from Antica Locanda. Note - it is @ the "far end" of Pienza but still within the walls - very convenient to everything you would need - but rough pulling a suitcase on cobblestones when you realize you could have parked SO much closer.
The owner indeed does not speak English, but she does speak French (and Italian, of course) and so we managed to communicate fine. Our first night was in the "La Soffitta" which is charmingly in the soffit area of the inn - at risk for head hitting, but quaint and perfectly wonderful. We moved the second night (as rooms opened up) into "Monticchiello" - more spacious, with a sofa. Awakened @ 6 am to a sunrise over Tuscany that is by far one of our favorite memories of our trip. Everything you could want in a beautiful old Italian town. Great dinner just outside the door; morning coffee & croissants around the corner; Internet Cafe nearby. Prices reasonable; plan for stairs; very nice bathrooms. You'll love your stay here.

It took us a while to find the place. The owner was waiting for us on the street, to guide us to our room. We were so grateful for her help.

It was quite a journey up the stairs to the room with the luggage. It was worth the struggle as the room was so very charming and well kept and 800 years old.

The owner directed us to a great place to eat, just a few steps from her building. She gave us a lot of information about the restaurant, which was so helpful in us having a great time at the restaurant.

The breakfast was self serve, and at first seemed disappointing, however when we ate the prepacked breakfast, we were satisfied with the breakfast.

We stayed at Antica Locanda for 2 nights.
When we arrived at the door step, the poster indicated to which house we must go to find someone to help us, but there were no one at the house. Then there was a number we had to call, which after a struggle to find a phone, we managed to contact the lady to open the doors for us.
Due to the time it took we got a parking ticket - since no one was there to indicate where the parking for the hotel is.
The lady could not speak english and we had to try and communicate in a very broken French. She took us to our room - which was not the one that we booked. After a heavy discussion (and with language barriers) she took us up to the original - double in size with a beautiful view. At last we got the room that we wanted.
The location is perfect, the view looks like a picture out of a story book and it is very clean with beautiful furnisher.
We were delighted to see we had a kitchen - and went out to buy good quality wine and pasta ingredients for a night in.
Going back to the hotel, we walked past the lady, who pointed to our grocery bag and said something in French about "pay". So we went up to the room, and started reading the notices behind the door and realised we had to pay an EXTRA 20 euro's to use the kitchen! This after we already paid more for a big room which on the pictures shows the kitchen as part of the room. Nowhere is it ever stated that the kitchen facilities must be paid for additionally. Hence, we are suppose to go into the kitchen, eat the very limited "breakfast" put out in a basket, drink our coffee, and not touch anything else. We were very upset with this arrangement.
Antica Locanda is set in a beautiful town, the top room we were in had the most beautiful view over the tuscan hills, but sadly we felt disappointed in the management thereof.

We stayed here for a week. The town is delightful. There are few hotels, so at night, after the tour busses leave, the town is yours and the locals. Right in between Montalcino and Montepulciano, this is a wine mavens perfect location.
The room was on a third story walk up. There are no elevators. The room was a good size, as was the bathroom. Both were maintained impeccably. The breakfast was coffee and a roll at a local place, which got pretty boring after a while. The air conditioning was a mobile unit, slef contained, that did not do a great job in the middle of the summer but would be fine for the rest of the year. It needed periodic maintenance. Parking is outside the city walls, a couple of minute walk. There were no other Americans in the town for the week we were there, which I liked. The two information desks gave us great recommendations on everything and good directions.
There was no internet or phone access. Publlic phones were a nightmare, and we ended up paying the information people to make calls for us. Internet cafe is about three minutes walk.
This place is not for a business person continuing to work. It is for a couple who want to get off the clock, and experience history, beautiful scenery, nice people, and time togehtrer.