Hello- there used to be wonderful places to stay called, i believe, "pensione" are they still available? thank you. F. Nociti
Posted by
Toledo, Ohio, US
11613 posts
Some pensione still use that name (especially if they are well known), but I think most now call themselves B&Bs; I haven't seen many "pensione" signs in a few years and they used to be everywhere. In Italy, it may have something to do with the number of rooms (5 or fewer can't be called a hotel). Another thing I've noticed recently is that many hotels offer breakfast included in the price.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
15164 posts
Zoe is right. Many 'pensioni' now are called B&B, Hotel or Albergo or Soggiorno in addition to the old 'Pensione' name that some still have. Originally a Pensione was a guest house that provided lodging as well all meals or at least breakfast and dinner (mezza pensione). Today accommodations come under different names. The ENIT (Italian National Tourism Agency) website has the largest database with all hotels names registered in the country.
http://www.italia.it/en/useful-information/hotels.html You can search by town, hotel name, category (stars), price. It's a useful site to check in combination with other sites because for each hotel there is a 'FILE' that you can click and get the most detailed information on amenities, prices, contact numbers, website etc. All hotels in the country are registered with ENIT therefore they should appear in the database. Happy search!