I am looking for recommendations of convent stays (esp with nice views if possible) and cheap in the following cities:

Florence
Orvieto
Cortona
Naples
Sorrento
Capri (??)

Thanks for any help you can offer!
Patricia

Hey there,

in a couple of weeks we will be staying at the CASA SANTO NOME DI GESU in Florence. If you look them up on tripadvisor.com you will get a couple of good reviews as well.
67 euros for a double, inc. breakfast, and a beautiful garden. You can actually order dinner with the nuns as well (and sample the convent wine), and the location is great.
Bonus fact: the place used to hide Jews during WW2, so it must have a great energy to it. Friends of ours stayed there and loved it.
If you call a bit later (9-10 PM their time) you will get an english-speaking nun.
Call Tel. 055.213.856

Also for more convents, try this website: www.santasusanna.org or http://www.santasusanna.org/comingToRome/convents.html

We tried first to reserve the Instituto Oblate dell Assunzione (because of proximity to the Duomo), but the nun stated "imposible! only grupi! only groups!"

SO Casa Santo Nome di Gesu will do us just fine.

there is a book called "bed and blessings" listing convents all over Italy. I am not sure if they say much about the view. I have lost my copy

Thanks isabela, I will check this convent out, and ekellyga, I am familiar with this *wonderful* book, but am looking for any specific recommendations anyone might have. Does anyone else have any recommednations?

Thanks!
Patricia

Hi Isabela--do you know anything about the location of that place? Is it in a really remote area that you would need a car to get to, or is it in a central area of Florence? (near public transport or near sights..)

thanks!

Do most convents have curfews? JUst curious...also how about non married couples?

Does anyone know of any in Naples or Sorrento (a great view would be a plus)?

Thanks!
Patricia

Hi Miss Ziegfeld,

location was extremely important and at first I was dissapointed that the convent near the Duomo (in the north part of the old city) was only taking groups now.
But as we learned more about the location of Casa Santo Nome di Gesu, we discovered it was actually very close to everything - just across the river from all the sites (in a quieter area)but only minutes away, literally just across the river.

I am posting the info available on Santa Susanna. We also did a mapquest.com search for this address and realized how central it was! Go to mapquest and enter
http://www.mapquest.com/maps/main.adp?countrycode=IT
then enter "piazza del carmine" and the area should come up.

hope this helps!


CASA SANTO NOME DI GESÙ
(Piazza del Carmine 21, 50124 Firenze,
Tel. 055.213.856, Fax: 055.281.835
e-mail [email protected]
Across the Arno near the beautiful church of Santa Maria del Carmine where the famous Massacio frescoes are found. The rooms are quite nice with large shuttered windows, however there are no private baths. There is a library, chapel and TV room. Breakfast is included and prices are € 43,00 for a single room, € 66,00 for a double room and € 114,00 for a triple room. Curfew is at 11:30pm.The Sisters also take most credit cards, something few convents do! Take Bus D from the station and get off at Borgo S. Frediano. The sisters speak English, French, German and Spanish!

Re. convent curfews

The actual curfew time depends on the convent. All of them WILL close at some point between 10 and 11:30-ish.
Personally, I have not heard of a convent that does not have a curfew. The trade-off is, you avoid those loud drunken late-night arrivals who giggle all night through the paper-thin walls.

Most will take persons of either gender, though will not put them together unless they're married (but they don't check marriage licences if you get my drift).
Basically, they won't really care but play along and tell them you're married anyway, just in case.

In some convents, like the Suore Canossiane in Venice, it's women only, and if you're late for curfew they lock you out and the old, 4 foot 5-inch head nun carries a stick that she waves around, half-smiling and definitely serious!!

Correction to the email address for Casa Santo Nome di Gesu: [email protected]
fmm stands for "Franciscan Missionaries of Mary". I previously had problems sending them emails because the Santa Susanna site had it as "ffm" instead. I found out the correct email address when I decided to call them on the phone.
I stayed there for 10 days last October 2003. I highly recommend the place.
And yes, they do allow "non-married" couples to stay together in one room.

Just doing some searches here. The web site for Casa Santo Nome de Gesu is http://www.fmmfirenze.it and the email address is [email protected] . The nuns will probably reply within 24 hours. The rates are on the web site. Curfew during colder months is 11 PM, and 11:30 PM during warmer months (ask for more precision).

Am sure everyone knows, but just in case. To call Italy from the US you need to dial 011-39+ the phone no. Happy trips!