Italy original ho(s)tels

[jennifer]

Hi! As my itinerary isn't really fixed, I was wondering ig you know of any original hostels in Italy? There are castles in Germany and France, etc. etc. etc. Anything special or original in Italy?

[madamtrashheap]

Apart from Villas, there are also Monastery/Convent stays available across Italy. I know of two in Florence: the Suore Oblate dell'Assunzione, a convent)which is just behind the Duomo and is quite lovely. The other is Hostel 7 Santi which is out of town a little more, over near the football stadium on the east side of town. It's quite basic and doesn't always have hot water (yikes!), but is quaint and easy to catch the local bus to the centre.

I've also heard good things about Castello di Ripa d'Orcia which is near Montalcino. I haven't stayed there, but know where it is and it offers accommodation in the medieval castle for a few days or a week.

There are also the Trulli in the Puglia region you can stay in, not sure if you want to add that to your list, but it's a great region of Italy (Eagle was there on his last trip).

[WillTravel]

Here's the convent I stayed at in Florence:
www.fmmfirenze.it

It's a nice place, a lovely old building, and almost competitive with hostel prices. It tends to book up way in advance, though.

There are books with lists of convents. Here's one partial list:
www.santasusanna.org/comingToRome/convents.html

[jennifer]

I'll check them out