I'll be in florence in july and am looking for a cheaper alternative to hotels. does anyone know any good convents/monasteries in florence?

Welcome to Fodor's, qt. Many of us love to stay in convents in Italy. If you type Convents Florence into the search box at the top of the page, many past messages about this topic will appear on the left-hand side of your page in reverse chronological order. If you have any difficulty with this search, just post here and we'll help you. There are several good convents in Florence, but you need to book ASAP because they fill up early. I'd phone. Some do not have anyone who speaks much English, but you can usually make a reservation if you know very basic Italian, such as the numbers for the dates you want to stay.

This information comes from the Web site of Santa Susanna, the American church in Rome:

CASA SANTO NOME DI GESÙ
(Piazza del Carmine 21 50124 Florence
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 private baths are not in every room. There is a library, chapel and TV room. Breakfast is included and prices are 60 Euro for a single room with bath, 80 Euro for a double room and 117 Euro for a triple room. Rooms without baths are less expensive. Curfew is at 11:30 PM.

I recall that at least one poster has stayed there and seemed quite happy with it.

Scrolled back to message #182 because the index function is kaput. Wanted to top this message for qu2050, because he/she probably has no idea what happened to his/her initial post on this forum yesterday. (Not your fault, qt, it's not explained very well in the FAQ)

Check out the book "Bed and Blessings". A list of convents all over Italy that provide housing. We stayed at one in Sienna. Much like a mid-priced hotel. Nice, clean, enjoyable

I was happy with CASA SANTO NOME DI GESÙ. I got a room without a private bathroom, but a sink in the room. This was 43 Euros, with breakfast included, but the price has now gone up to 45. A simple but pleasant dinner can be taken at the convent for 15 Euros per night (up from the 14 I paid). You can also buy a bottle of wine for a cheap price and use it over several evenings. http://www.fmmfirenze.it

Another poster, Jane Post, had a happy experience at a convent on Borgo Pinti in Florence.

Here's a whole list of convents in Florence:

http://www.bocellionline.com/forum/v...af634866088b47

And here's more information on the Istituto Oblate dell'Assunzione:

http://travel2.nytimes.com/top/featu...=1107942624414

Borgo Pinti is more central; Carmine is in the Oltrarno, the "other" side of Florence from the main points of interest and thus somewhat less crowded with tourists.

Topping for qt2050