The building and the neighbourhood · a few small courtesiesThe building has only a few apartments. The neighbourhood is dense and voices carry. No rules — just a little context.

La Tana is inside a historic building in the centre of San Benedetto, with only a few apartments and a quiet pact of good neighbourliness. The historic centre is a densely lived-in area: voices from the garden reach the nearby balconies, sounds on the stairs carry into the corridors, certain doors have a precise purpose. Nothing dramatic — just a few things to know, because being happy here takes a little shared awareness.

1. 01

   The building · small, familiar, good

   There are only a few of us in the building and we all know one another. The other residents take the same care over living together that we expect: quiet on the stairs late at night, no shouting in the corridor, doors closed without slamming. It's a mutual pact — they keep it for you when you leave, we keep it for them when you arrive.

2. 02

   The inner corridor door

   After the outer door with its roller shutter, going through the gallery with the little shop, there's a second door that opens onto the apartments' corridor. That door must always be closed as you come in and go out: it's a security door shared with the other residents, and keeping it closed is the building's basic gesture of good neighbourliness.

3. 03

   The rhythms of the town · when the garden goes quiet

   In Italy the widely recognised quiet hours are 13:00–15:00 in the afternoon (the midday break) and from 22:00 to 08:00 at night. In San Benedetto the local council's by-laws confirm this: after 22:00 the venues in the centre can't play music outdoors, and even selling alcohol to take away isn't allowed. For you that means: in the garden after 22:00 voices carry to all the nearby balconies — if it's going to be a chatty evening, the living room is the right place, where the noise stays inside the house.

4. 04

   Why we're open about this

   Not to be strict — quite the opposite. In the past, guests being noisy in the garden after 23:00 have forced us to come out and ask them to go back in. If the neighbours decide to report it to the council or the local police, from that point the situation is out of our hands: it isn't us being strict, it's the regulations coming into play. Telling you in advance is the way to spare everyone — guests, neighbours, us — an unpleasant evening.

5. 05

   Historic centre · voices are heard everywhere

   This isn't a flaw of the house, it's the character of the historic centre: as in Venice, in Bologna or in any Italian seaside town, the houses are close together, the balconies look onto one another, and in the evening the conversation on the floor below is heard on the floor above. For many it's part of the charm — you live together, not side by side. For others it's something to get used to in the first few days.

6. 06

   What's fine and what isn't · parties, extra guests, cooking

   Inside the house you can chat, laugh, put music on, watch films — the noise indoors is your own affair. What doesn't work: parties that involve cooking for lots of people (the kitchenette is small, there's no proper kitchen — making lunch for ten is frustrating for you and demanding on the apartment), and extra guests beyond those booked (the authorisation is for six people maximum, it's a legal limit). If you have a birthday or a special occasion, write to us first — there's a tavern twenty metres away that often works well for lively evenings, and sometimes we can give you tailored suggestions.