Staying in a religious guesthouse in Rome
Written by Heather Cowper
If you’re visiting one of the centres of religious pilgrimage such as Rome or Assisi, you may like to consider staying in a convent, monastery or religious guest house, for simple, homely accomodation which is often very central for sightseeing.
When I visited Rome with my parents and son last spring, we stayed in Residenza Madri Pie , a religious guest house which I’d recommend, for quiet and comfortable accomodation. It was so close to St Peter’s that we could practically wave to the Pope from our bedroom window.
The Residenza has the look and feel of a convent, with cool marble floors, dark antique furniture in the public areas and simply furnished rooms. Although the reception was staffed by respectable looking gentlemen, our breakfast was served in the morning by the nuns from the religious order. There is also a chapel which can be used by visiting groups.
One of the nicest things was the terrace and garden at the back of the hotel which was a pleasant place to sit after a hot day sightseeing. There was also a large car-park which is unusual to find so close to the centre of Rome. If you require on-tap internet access, you may be disappointed, as the one internet terminal was not working while I was there.
Accomodation in Rome is generally expensive but I think this was a good value mid-price option, especially for those who want to be close to the Vatican and St Peter’s. Double rooms were €125 per night including breakfast and taxes.
Residenza Madre Pie had the feel of a small hotel, but if you’d like to get the more authentic experience of staying in a covent, you could try the accomodation listed on the Santa Susanna website, the portal for the American Catholic Church in Italy. As well as a long list of convents that offer accomodation in Rome, there are also convents listed in Assisi and Florence. This may not be the right choice for the party animal, as some do have an evening curfew, but women travelling on their own or couples and families on a budget may find an ideal place to stay.
Another useful website to locate accomodation in monasteries and convents is Monasterystays.com which lists accomodation all over Italy. This could be a good way to get in touch with your spiritual side, for modest accomodation at a modest price.
Do you have any experience of staying in a convent, monastery or religious guest house? If so, do share your recommendations.
I’m glad you’ve found the same website as I did http://www.monasterystays.com as it seems to list hundreds of places to stay all over Italy but with heaps in Rome. I’m going as single this trip and there is a real advantage as they have single rooms- they don’t charge you the dreaded “single supplement”. Recommend giving them a look as they make the booking for you and I’d expect all the places Santa Sussana mentions will be on their website. I think you’d save a lot of time and effort.
John, thanks for your comment and the no single supplement is a big bonus as that can really hike up accommodation costs.
My favorite religious house in Rome is Casa Santa Brigida in Piazza Farnese. Ideal location right in the center of town.
Casa di Santa Brigida
Piazza Farnese, 96
00186 ROMA
ITALY
Tel +39-06-68892596 / 68892497
Fax +39-06-68891573
piazzafarnese@brigidine.org
Thanks for that tip Katie, it looks like a lovely place to stay & very near my favourite market at Camp de’Fiori.
[...] a Convent or religious guest house I’ve already written about the experience of staying in a religious guest house. There are many convents and religious guest houses in Rome – not for the party animal [...]
[...] of staying in this type of accommodation after reading Heather Cowper’s post “Staying in a religious guest house in Rome” on the Europe a la Carte Blog last year. Heather enjoyed her stay, finding the accommodation [...]
Hi, I am wanting to visit Rome as a pilgrim but never having been before I find it might be a bit daunting on my own trying to find my way around.The religious houses seem to really good and I do need to be near St Peters as I am slightly disabled.
@ Paula The Residenza Madre Pie might suit you well as it’s close to the Vatican. I can’t remember whether it has a lift, although you could probably check the website. If your disability requires a lift, you might find that a problem as so much accommodation in Rome is in old and historic buildings that don’t have such things.