Planning a trip to Italy but want to make it affordable? Here’s a travel hack that no one is talking about: consider a monastery stay. When I mention that I’ve stayed for nearly a month in monasteries in Rome and Florence, I always get a ton of questions. So, here’s what I loved and the reality of what you can expect.
This is your guide to monastery stays in Italy.
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Making Italy Affordable
Sometimes, the best discoveries happen when you’re desperate. After securing a great deal on a last-minute flight to Rome, I realized that hotel prices were astronomical. If I’d started planning sooner, more affordable accommodations might have been possible. But let’s face it: Rome and Florence will always be pricey.
Then, I discovered MonasteryStays.com, where you can book accommodations at over 350 monasteries across Italy. Many located within walking distance of major tourist attractions, making your stay more affordable by saving on transportation costs.
How to Book a Monastery Stay
The booking process is a bit different than securing your room directly via a hotel website or an aggregator site like Booking.com. With MonasteryStays.com, you submit a travel plan, which can take a few days and up to a week to confirm.
While the website highlights locations with availabilities for your dates, Monastery Stays coordinates with each monastery on your behalf. You can submit a multi-city plan. For example, when I visited Rome and Florence, my Florence accommodation was approved within 24 hours, but it took over a week to secure a location in Rome.
While you can make changes and cancellations, the process is a bit cumbersome. Your deposit is non-refundable. So, if you tend to book at the last minute or need to keep your plans flexible, this might not be the right site for you.
Monastery stays for solo travellers
Monastery Stays offers rooms to solo travellers, couples, families, and even groups. I’ve only done a monastery stay as a solo traveller. The prices were extremely affordable, especially when you’re not sharing accommodation costs.
As a solo traveller, I felt safe. The monasteries were in good neighbourhoods, and I felt comfortable walking around alone at night.
In Rome, I had keys to an outer courtyard gate, the monastery’s front door, and my room. In Florence, I only had a room key and had to be buzzed in by the nun manning video surveillance at the front desk.
What to Expect: The Perks
Staying at a monastery is a unique experience. You don’t have to be Catholic, and you’ll never be asked about your religious beliefs. But it’s important to be respectful. Remember, you’re in the nun’s house, making for a quiet and peaceful stay.
Location and price were the biggest perks for me. I estimated that my nightly cost (including breakfast) was about a third of what I’d pay for a hotel. I was surprised to discover that many of the monasteries were in the heart of the city, close to major attractions. In Rome, I stayed less than a 10-minute walk from the Vatican, and in Florence, my monastery was a similar distance from the Duomo.
Amenities vary by location, but I enjoyed free and reliable Wi-Fi, a private bathroom, and breakfast. The guest rooms and common areas were exceptionally clean. Once the booking was confirmed, I received a detailed information package, including directions, local attractions, and tour suggestions.
What to Expect: It’s NOT a Hotel
The rooms are basic but comfortable. There are no bathrobes, fancy soaps, room service, plush duvets, or even an extra pillow. My room contained a single bed, night table, desk, and wardrobe. It’s not a luxe experience, but found that each monastery had its own unique charm.
Unfortunately, self-catering is a challenge when you stay at a monastery. There wasn’t a mini frig, kettle or even access to a kitchen. But the money saved allowed for guilt-free indulgences in gelato, pasta and evening aperativos.
What might surprise you is the curfew. Check before you book because not all locations have a curfew. In Florence, I had to be back at the monastery by 11:30 pm before the nun manning the front desk went to bed. Check-out time might also be early, like by 9 am. For me, this wasn’t an issue as I had an early morning flight.
Rome
My monastery in Rome, Villino Noel, was close to the Vatican and the metro. I took the Leonardo Express to Rome’s Termini Train Station from the airport. From there, there were a few stops on the A-line metro to Cirpo. Then, it was a 10-minute flat walk (important to know if you are dragging a suitcase) to Villino Noel.
A taxi from the airport would have cost more than a night at the monastery. Breakfast in Rome was a cappuccino, small juice and a cornetto at the cafe next door. And I loved the local vibe of the Prati neighbourhood so much that I stayed in the same monastery when I returned to Rome.
If you stay in Prati, you absolutely must visit the Vatican Museums, which are only a 5-minute walk from Villino Noel. But make sure you book a skip-the-line tour; if you don’t, you could be waiting in line for 2-3 hours. Highly recommend this Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter’s Tour.
Florence
While my room in Florence was simple, the Borgo Pinti Sanctuary, a former palazzo, was gorgeous. There was an inner courtyard with a tranquil rose garden and lovely antiques in all of the public spaces.
The nuns prepared a buffet breakfast, which was served in a charming arched dining room with a garden view. The buffet included breads, pastries, yogurt, cereals, tea, coffee, and juice.
There was even a wine window (although it was no longer functioning), which added to this former palazzo’s Florentine charm.
A monastery stay might not appeal to everyone, especially if your travel style is more amenity-focused or you like to self-cater. But I loved this style of accommodation. Conveniently located, with historic charm, ultra clean, peaceful, and super affordable, MonasteryStays.com will be the first place I look at when planning my next trip to Italy.
If you are planning a trip to Rome, check out this post to discover Seven Secret Photo Spots in Rome. Or learn more about Train Travel, Taking Trains in Italy by a Girl with a Big Suitcase.
