I've never stayed anywhere like this before but it was utterly charming and very 'rustic Italian', filled with antique furniture old drawings and paintings and old patterned rugs. Paulo and his aunt own and run the place and they are so friendly and helpful despite limited English. They even gave me a discount because I was on my own! Tip: If you speak Spanish you will find it easier to communicate. The room was much larger than average with a sink and bidet in the corner and a dressing table, wardrobe, table and shelves. The shower and loo were in separate rooms which I found strange at first but discovered is very common in Italy. The place was clean though some may find it cluttered. However I think this added to the charm. It is ideally located 5min from the Duomo and Tower and about 15min from station.

I want to write this hotel an excellent review, I really do...for example, the treatment we received from the owners was exquisite and the location can't be beat. However, there are some things that need to be improved before this hotel becomes a "must stay" destination. In fairness to the hotel though, I'm just going to write what we liked and didn't like and leave it at that.

LIKES:
- Location: It simply can't be beat. The Rinascente is within an easy 15 minute walk of the Duomo and the Torre Pendente. In addition, heading the other way is one of the major shopping and eating areas of Pisa so if you stay at this place you've got all angles covered.
- Owners: Paulo and his aunt are great people. Every time they saw us they asked how we were doing and how they could help us. Paulo also was very helpful when we first got to the hotel, giving us tips of where to go, etc...
- Room Size: We're used to the smallish European hotel rooms, so walking into a room that's bigger than your average bedroom is a pleasant surprise.
- Cost: At 64 Euros a double, you're not going to find many places in this location at a cheaper price.
- Air Conditioning: Our room had a pretty new air conditioner that worked great. We actually had to turn up the temperature because late at night we started getting cold. Those are great news in any hotel in summertime.
- Free Wi-Fi: Good, strong connection every time we used it. Nothing to complain about here.
DISLIKES:
- No breakfast, enough said.
- Room Furnishings: Our room, like the rest of the hotel, was furnished with furniture that has obviously seen better days. It's still functional for the most part but the wear and tear is starting to tell. For example, a couple of drawers had knobs missing, etc....also, while I personally enjoyed my sleep, I could tell that our mattress has seen a lot of use. How? There was a big dip, almost a depression, on my side of the bed.
- Room Cleanliness: The hotel could do better in this area. For example, we saw dirt accumulations in the corners of the room, something that could be taken care off with daily sweeping and mopping. Also, the area rug we had in the room was just plain filthy. This is something again that could be taken care off with some daily vacuuming.
- Bathroom: While we should probably count ourselves lucky that we had a bathroom en-suite (half the rooms don't) it wasn't a big hit with us. For one thing, it is claustrophobically small. For example, to use the toilet, I had to put my feet inside the shower stall. I could also tell that it was an afterthought for maintenance, if at all. For example, the shower stall door would not close all the way and the shower head was filled with dried hard water deposits.
- Overall Decor: This is obviously someone's home, so they will furnish it as they wish. But, seeing as it also serves as a hotel, my recommendation would be to follow the "addition by subtraction" or "less is more" mantra. There's just too much kitsch everywhere, from the common areas, to the rooms. Some people will feel that this adds character to the place. My view is that is takes away from what could be a good place to stay, based on location alone, and adds more stuff to get dusty.
- Parking: Tough business. Paulo is helpful but parking is limited and hard to get at.

We stayed at Pensione Rinascete for 2 nights and we were really charmed by the location, staff (the owner Paulo and his auntie) and endearing decor.

You really can't pick a better location, only 5 mins from the leaning tower and 2 mins from the busy shops and bars you want to explore when in Pisa.

Paulo, the owner, was very welcoming and has a great sense of humour, and even though our Italian is limited and her English limited, we also got on well with Paulo's auntie who runs the administration of the pensione.

The room we stayed in was pretty and had a rustic charm only found in Italy.

Would definitely stay here again, and would recommend to anyone visiting Pisa.

Warm friendly welcome from the proprieter who found a room for us in the ensuing chaos after the impromptu closure of Pisa Airport in May 2011 due to a random WW2 bomb! Warm, comfortable and clean and a good shower. Just the job!