Beds and Blessings in Italy: A Guide to Religious Hospitality

I used the prior version and this was a fantastic book which I used on three trips from 1999 to 2005, stayed in at least five convents- what a treasure, like going back in time and the nicest people. The convents often had spectacular views and frescoes, Della Robbia sculpture, wonderful homemade jams and continental breakfast, marble floors, unique citrus gardens and ancient buildings right in the heart of towns, from Florence south and also in Sicily. wonderful people, the nuns at the convents grew all or almost all of their food on site, treated me like family, were very kind and welcoming. At that time it was generally pre-Internet: I pulled out my Rick Steves Italian phrase book, made long-distance calls. in halting but courteous Italian, I made reservations, often the nuns spoke English And were very modern. At the convent near Rome in Trastevere, the mother superior looked longingly at my Apple laptop and said she’d really like one of those! There I paid The most of all the convents , €44 a night! with huge marble floor bathrooms that were very elegant like an old hotel, and a three-story U-shaped building with the citrus and fruit court in the center. it was just magical, among the wonderful winding streets of Trastevere, not to mention incredibly affordable and some are even coed. From there I walked to the Vatican, and all over Rome. Don’t miss this book And the chance to step back in time with people who are real treasures.

This book has a lot of places listed, which is great, but there's not enough detail. Many listings do not show prices, nor do they all tell you how to get there by public transport or car or how far from city centers or historical areas. If you find one you like, you'll have to do more research on your own to see exactly where it is and how to get there and how much it costs. Also, they do not list the curfew hours if any.Could be great if they did a bit more in the next version.

I purchased this "alternative" tourist guide to look for hostels and campsites to arrange a tour along the pilgrimage sites in central Italy. Its distribution by regions and provinces allows you to make a good use of the guide, while the records are very complete and useful, providing all relevant information to a pilgrim, secular or not.

I found I used this book less that intended. The three convents I tried could not accommodate us, perhaps our dates, but most likely because we were trying to reserve a triple bed room and they rarely have those I gather.