I've heard staying in some Monasteries can be cheap and very accommodating with good food. Has any one tried this and do you know of any in the Tuscany area. I'm curious
Posted by
Corvallis OR
7180 posts
I've not stayed in one myself but know people who have and really liked it.
This website may help.
http://www.monasterystays.com/?a=destination&b=Italy/Tuscany
Posted by
Toledo, Ohio, US
11613 posts
I have stayed in several monasteries, especially in expensive cities (Rome and Venice come to mind). Some offer breakfast only, others offer lunch and dinner as well. The ones I stayed at only offered breakfast, which was very simple. You probably won't have a phone or TV in your room, but many rooms have private baths. These lodgings aren't the money-saving bargains they used to be (I once stayed in a convent in Como for $6; my latest monastery stay was about $70 in Rome). Check monasterystays.com (they charge a commission) and santasusanna.org (American parish church in Rome, has listings for convents and monasteries throughout Italy).
Posted by
San Jose, CA
1994 posts
Monasteries/convents are my preferred lodging. In addition to the cost, I really like the environment--quiet, safe, spotlessly clean, fewer surprises than budget hotels, often interesting old buildings, and I often enjoy the sisters, even when we don't share a language.
Last year, I spent 40E in Milan, 45E for single rooms in central locations in Rome and Florence, and 50E in Venice for a convent directly across the Grand Canal from San Marco (a few hundred yards from Salute vaporetto stop). I always book directly via email, using Google translate for the email messages. Don't expect much English to be spoken (often none at all); therefore, you need to be pretty self-sufficient. MonasteryStays.com makes it easy to locate convents, understand the amenities, and book rooms; they will communicate with you in English, and their fee is small; I used them once in a very remote region and was very happy with their service.
Regarding the food, you should expect simple to very simple for breakfast, the only meal typically offered for tourists. The best food I've ever had in 6 or 7 trips to Italy was in a monastery in a very remote area of Marches, miles from any town, but it doesn't accept tourists as guests; I'm affiliated with the congregation that's in residence, so I was on retreat there. They have a local woman who has cooked for them for years, the monks grow fruits/vegs/chestnuts and forage for mushrooms, and the food was amazing. No restaurant has come close. But that's not the norm.