Stays in Convents

I have been researching monastery/convent stays for Rome and Florence. Best answer I've found so far on this site is go to monasterystays.com. Have never stayed in one but there are many in Italy, if that is where you are going. The biggest drawback for me is that there is a curfew in many of them. If you search monastery stays on this page you may find a lot more useful information.

Good luck!

Thanks for your info ... will go now and google :-)

They sound like they're a little quiet to me. To some, that's attractive. To me, I like a little more action.

What cities are you interested in? We have stayed in some convents and enjoyed the peace and quiet and the convenient location and prices? They can be a nice choice, especially in Italy. If you could name the cities you are interested in, I could tell you if we have stayed in a convent in that city, which one, and what it was like.

Another source for convents/monasteries throughout Italy is santasusanna.org. Monasterystays charges a commission, part of the payment is due on booking, the convent/monastery usually requests cash for the remainder.

Accommodations are quite simple (no tv or phone), but most rooms have private baths and provide a simple breakfast. And there is a curfew, some as early as 10pm and others past midnight. These places are run by residential sisters and nuns, and not all have English-speakers available all the time.

Note that some convents/monasteries are outside of town, others are in the center of everything.

May I add a reading recommendation? "A time to keep silence" by Patrick Leigh Fermor.
The author was the original backdoor traveller and is most famous for his 3 books documenting his walk across Europe, from Holland to Constantinople, in the 1930s. "A time to keep silence" is a slim book about the times he stayed at various monestaries around Europe to recharge his batteries.

http://www.amazon.com/Time-Silence-Review-Books-Classics/dp/1590172442/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1421847688&sr=1-1&keywords=%22A+time+to+keep+silence%22

www.bookingmonastery.com
is another website you can use.

A year ago I stayed at a convent on Via Merulana in Roma for ten days. I got a single bed with a hard mattress. The bathroom and shower were OK. Room was clean. I paid 60 Euro a night.

Staff was lovely. Nuns were OK but for one cranky Nun. The place was busy with American and European tourists. Curfew was 11 PM.

There is No TV in the room and No WiFi in the room. Had to go to Lobby on Main floor for TV and WiFi.

They served Rosetta bread buns every morning with cream cheese and jelly tubs. I started sneaking out at 6 AM to go to a Bar across the street for my favorite Italian pastries. I still cannot even look at another Rosetta bread bun to this day.

Rick's guidebooks also recommend some convent-stays that are convenient to sightseeing in the cities he covers, such as Rome, Siena, etc.

Ah, yes, the ubiquitous rosetta bun - and sometimes instant coffee! I, too, headed to a nearby bar first thing for a cappuccino.

I'm taking my 14-y/o Latin-student grandson to explore Rome at the end of May. We have a reservation at Casa Il Rosario, a Dominican convent listed in Rick's Italy book. For the price (€ 94/night for a double with bath) and location (two blocks behind the Forum of Augustine) it looks pretty good.

I'll report back after our trip.

I stayed at the Istituto Monastero San Lodovico (UMO133 on MonasteryStays.com) and loved it. I was travelling alone, and stayed here in Orvieto for 3 nights before meeting friends in Rome. I paid about $40 per night (it was May) and the included breakfast was ample. There was a curfew (11 pm?) but it didn't impact me as my jetlagged body was ready for bed well before then. I loved the courtyard - there was a kindergarten program that ran there during the day and I loved seeing the children. The sisters had limited English, but charades did the trick. Very safe and peaceful. Comfortable bed, private bathroom, spotlessly clean. No TV. Couples are welcomed.