We analyze observational constraints on the parameter space of tachyonic
inflation with a Gaussian potential and discuss some predictions of this
scenario. As was shown by Kofman and Linde, it is extremely problematic to
achieve the required range of parameters in conventional string
compactifications. We investigate if the situation can be improved in more
general compactifications with a warped metric and varying dilaton. The
simplest examples are the warped throat geometries that arise in the vicinity
of of a large number of space-filling D-branes. We find that the parameter
range for inflation can be accommodated in the background of D6-branes wrapping
a three-cycle in type IIA. We comment on the requirements that have to be met
in order to realize this scenario in an explicit string compactification.Comment: Latex, JHEP class, 20 pages, 4 figures. v2: references added, small
error in section 7 corrected, published versio