Hi Fodorites:

I've been in touch with the convent, Casa Santa Brigida, in Rome in the hope to get a reservation for the week of Nov 21 - Nov 27, and was a bit surprised at how expensive they are, especially in this off-season. But I drift...since I wanted to get a room with one large bed but they don't have any, I was wondering if any of you who stayed at this convent had a single room and can advise on how large/small they are. (even those are expensive - 95EU/night...in late Nov!). I'm trying to find this out, and then will make a decision as to whether to stay here, opt for another convent, or stay at the hotel I usually stay at in Rome. I was hoping for a different (and more inexpensive) experience thru staying at a convent. I am aiming to spend not more than 80EU per night.

Thanks to all,
Tonia

I wouldn't want to say that this one article was a turning point - - but Santa Brigida was already being recognized as an "in" place, five years ago when this appeared in the LA Times:

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HER WORLD; A Convent in the Eternal City Offers Enduring, Endearing Charm for VisitorsHome Edition]
SUSAN SPANO. Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, Calif.: Sep 26, 1999. pg. 7

Section: Travel; PART- L; Travel Desk
ISSN/ISBN: 04583035
Text Word Count 982

Abstract (Article Summary)
I've been to Rome four times, and each time I go, the Eternal City becomes a little more mine--from Bernini's breathtaking colonnades on St. Peter's Square to the perfect pizza at Ivo's in the Trastevere district. But one place has always eluded me: the Casa di Santa Brigida, established around 1400 as an inn and hospice on the Piazza Farnese. The piazza, just south of ...

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You have to pay to read the full text on www.latimes.com

A link that I previouly cited on http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...mp;tid=1281882 - - though it was still good in 2001 - - is now defunct.

And the rapidly increasing rates in convents was mentioned here four years ago on http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...&tid=90003

Sorry I can't offer you the answer on room size, from firsthand experience, that you are seeking.

Best wishes,

Rex

Hi Rex,

Thank you so much for the information. I actually purchased the article (not bad - $2.50) and it was pretty good.
I think their single rooms are not too tiny after all, so I'm going to mull over the 95eu/night price for a bit...

Tonia

For what it's worth, here is an abridged -- and slightly altered, for copyright reasons -- text about the Casa Santa Brigida from a book called "Bed and Blessings: Italy," written by two American women and published for Jubilee Year in 2000.

Following a brief description of the Piazza Farnese: "Upon entering, our eyes fell on a pile of Louis Vuitton luggage -- an early indication that the prices are higher here than in most other guesthouses. On the ground floor, fresh flowers grace reception rooms furnished with old leather couches and chairs. Floors are covered with large, lovely Oriental rugs. Upstairs are a small library, a roof terrace, a chapel and several sitting rooms. The sisters here are, unfortunately, often less than gracious, so make sure you want to stay here before spending the same price you could pay at a nearby hotel."

According to a friend who lived a few steps away from the Casa Santa Brigida for over 30 years, the sisters' rather high-handed manner also made them somewhat disagreeable neighbours...

We stayed at the Casa Santa Brigida about 6 years ago. We have returned to Rome 3 times since, but have been unable to get back in to the Casa. The room I had was a double, but I was able to look into a single room. The room was a little small (maybe 12x12), had a single bed, and the window looked out onto an interior courtyard. The trade off for getting an interior window is that you will have a perfectly quiet night's sleep. I can't tell you about the bathroom, because I didn't see it.

There is nothing fancy about any of the rooms, but they are comfortable and spotlessly clean; you could eat off the floors. In the morning, your crusty rolls and coffee are waiting for you in the breakfast room. When we were there, there was no TV in the rooms; you had to walk down to a lounge an the same floor. Maybe this has changed now.

If you're in your room at 5:15PM every night, you'll hear the nuns singing vespers in the chapel.

It goes without saying that the Casa is very secure. You have to be buzzed in at the front door.

The very best thing is the location. The Piazza Farnese, in my opinion, is the best location in Rome. Lots of eating options and a short walk to everything. Also, a small electric mini-bus (#116 I think) stops right outside the front door.

Thanks to all for your responses so far!

Eloise - the description you added does confirm my belief that this is a "high-end" sort of place (with prices to reflect that), so in that respect it doesnt fit my budget-minded requirement, and as Pewn mentioned
the single room is 12x12 which is TINY ....

The pros are that it is an excellent place to stay if you are a solo traveller because of the safety,
good location, and unique experience.

(sorry, I'm just thinking out loud!)...

Once I check airfare I'll have a better idea of what the total costs will be...

Thanks again,
Tonia

Tonia: I don't know whether you'll see this, but for a convent that has at least two of the features of the Casa Santa Brigida -- safety and good location -- at about half the price (48 Euros), I would suggest Fraterna Domus on via Monte di Brianzo, very close to the Piazza Navona. I don't know about "unique experience"; I have read that Fraterna Domus incorporates a 1000-year-old church but I think it has been deconsecrated. My room there was given to me as a single but it had two twin beds. I don't think it was much -- or any -- larger than 12 feet by 12 feet, and there was certainly no valuable Oriental carpet in it or any other area of the convent. It was, however, pristine clean, and the sisters -- not all of whom spoke English -- were very kind. There is an E-mail address: [email protected].

Thank you, Eloise. I actually emailed Fraterna Domus today and hope they can give me a better rate than the Casa Santa Brigida. It sounds like a nice place, clean, good location, and I speak some Italian so the English language barrier wouldn't be too much of a problem. I wish I could at least see pictures of the convent, and their rooms, but I guess since they aren't hotels it is more difficult to catch a glance in advance.

My goal is to do air and accomodations for no more than $1,000, and hoping that I could swing it since it is the last week of Nov and supposedly the off-season...

Tonia

Hello again, Tonia,

A few more bits of information:

Sister Milena who does all the bookings -- I think because she is the only one with some knowledge of other languages -- sometimes does not respond with great rapidity to e-mails, so you might need to be a little patient.

She gave me a brochure about Fraterna Domus, but as far as I can recall -- I can't put my hands on it at the moment; all my Italian information material is in an unholy mess, because I never got around to filing it and the pile gets rearranged every time I look for information to give to someone -- it only had pictures of the exterior, the church and the common areas. The rooms are very spare. Mine, as I've mentioned, had two twin beds, a night table with a fairly adequate lamp, a table and chair, and a large wood cupboard. The floor is made of terracotta tiles. There might have been a throw rug, but I can't say I can call up a clear image of it. (In November, though, they might really put one down; a friend of mine who lived in Rome for 30 years always took up all her rugs in the summer and put them down again in the fall.) The room had a largish window that looked out onto the narrow street on one side of the convent. The bathroom was adequate, but the shower was one of the old-fashioned Italian ones: the unenclosed kind that just drains down through a hole in the floor. However, hot water was plentiful, which was not the case in another Roman convent I have stayed in.

The sisters are not Italian; I somehow gained the impression that they are from an eastern European country, but I wouldn't swear by it.

They also offer lunch and dinner for 12 Euros each. Acceptable, very plain home cooking. You can order wine by the carafe. I had dinner there the night I arrived; the dining rooms were not full. I understand, though, that it is better to reserve at lunchtime, when many people who work in the area take lunch there.

And one other thing it has in common with Casa Santa Brigida: There were at least two vases with fresh flowers in them in the common areas on the ground floor.

If you miss out on breakfast, which I did almost every day, take the little street beside the convent, follow it, go past the first cafe you see (which is on Via dei Portoghesi), make a left (I think; my sense of direction is hopeless) onto Via della Scrofa and have your cappuccino and your cornetto at Caffe dal 1889, where the staff are nicer and the prices are lower.

Two restaurant suggestions: Within a stone's throw of the convent is the Orso 80, on Via dell'Orso. Well frequented by tourists -- but surely less so in November -- but their specialty is an antipasto that comes in at 11 Euros. I had not less than 11 dishes put in front of me -- at least four or five had hot or warm things in them -- from which I could take as much or as little as I liked. If I remember correctly, there were three slices of melon and more than enough prosciutto to go with them; almost anywhere else, that alone will come in at 4 to 8 Euros.

The other is La Campana, on Vicolo della Campana, which goes off Via della Scrofa just past Caffe dal 1889. It's an old, honourable restaurant that serves tried and true Roman cuisine, well carried out. It, too, is frequented by tourists, but then, one has to try awfully hard to find a restaurant in that part of Rome that is not... I had fried zucchini flowers stuffed with mozzarella and anchovies, calf's liver (two large slices, perfectly pink and without a bit of gristle or vein or whatever), spinach all'olio e limone, fresh pineapple for dessert, a bottle of water, a half liter of white house wine, and an espresso, and the whole bill came to 30.50 Euros. And no, I do not get a commission from either establishment...