Inspired lodgings

[Photos by Brenda Anderson] The Chapel of Santa Maria degli Angeli, at the Franciscan monastery Santuario della Verna, was completed in 1218.

By REYNOLD DACON
© St. Petersburg Times
published December 23, 2001

Abbeys and monasteries occupy some of the finest locations in Italy. And they welcome guests (for a small fee).

You wake up to bells ringing in a church tower. That evening you attend vespers, sung by robed monks and priests. Your double bed was made in the early 1800s. You are in a Benedictine abbey in the Tuscany region. You stay two nights and pay $40 a night for two.

You are at a convent in Cortona, on a huge terrace with a sweeping view of the valley that stretches across to Montepulciano. While eating your picnic, you watch the sunlight playing over Lake Trasimeno and the Chiana Valley. You stay two nights and pay about $28 a night for two people.

Sometimes located in awesomely beautiful countryside, sometimes in the middle of cities, monasteries and convents provide a fascinating look into a part of life that few people see. Many of these religious facilities even welcome families with children.

There is no need to participate in the religious activities; it is only necessary to respect the beliefs and to follow any rules for visitors.

[Photo: Brenda Anderson]

The view through a guest room window at the Betania Convent in Cortona, Italy, looks toward the Val di Chiana.

My friend, Brenda, and I have journeyed twice to Italy since 1999, staying in religious facilities. We used two books as resources: The Guide to Lodging in Italy's Monasteries, by Eileen Barish, and Bed and Blessings, by June and Anne Walsh.

Among the places we have stayed:

Santuario della Verna. Situated 34 miles north of Arezzo, in a landscape of incredible beauty, this Franciscan monastery is built on the edge of a mountain that overlooks the Casentino Valley. Its beautiful Chapel of Santa Maria degli Angeli (decorations by Della Robbia) was completed in 1218; the basilica was completed in 1509.

Nearby is the village of Caprese Michelangelo, the birthplace of Michelangelo. Saint Francis first visited here in 1213 and returned often during his life.

The site is beautiful, quiet and has many hiking trails in the surrounding forest. Each day at 3:30 p.m., the Santuario's monks and priests have a procession though the monastery grounds in honor of Saint Francis.

Our room was formerly a monk's cell, yet its private bathroom was entirely modern.

Breakfast and dinner are provided in the pilgrim (visitor's) dining hall. Cost for two for one night, including continental breakfasts and a three-course dinner with wine, was about $90.

Abbazia di Monte Oliveto Maggiore: The abbey is in a forest 6 miles south of Asciano. It was founded in 1319 by the Blessed Bernardo Tolomei, to follow the religious rules of Saint Benedict.

Located in the monastery, and considered a masterpiece of the High Renaissance, is a beautiful, 36-scene fresco of the life of Saint Benedict by artists Luca Signorelli and Sodoma. The abbey has a library of 45,000 books, and its book restoration center is famous.

Our room with a private bath was simple but comfortable and overlooked the church and the impressive bell tower. Furnishings in the room were from the early 1800s and were beautifully carved. The bedside tables had marble tops.

[Photo: Brenda Anderson]

Now partially in ruins, the abbey of San Galgano was built by Cistercian monks between 1224 and 1288.

The abbey grounds are quiet and peaceful. As Brenda and I strolled one evening, we saw a red fox walking along a nearby access road, the rustling trees providing the only soundtrack.

On the grounds is the commercial La Torre Restaurant, which serves breakfasts, lunches and dinners. The outdoor tables feature friendly cats who gaze appealingly at you during dinner on the terrace (okay, maybe they are looking for handouts).

Padre Foresterario is the priest in charge of the foresteria (guest quarters), and he does not stand on ceremony. When I first talked with him to confirm our lodging, he was dressed in slippers, T-shirt and cotton trousers. His white Benedictine robe was casually thrown over a nearby chair.

We finished just as a bell struck in the nearby tower. "Dio! Il tempo!" (Lord! The time!), he exclaimed. He threw on his robe, grabbed his prayer book and dashed off to the church. Later, we saw him in the choir singing at vespers.

One evening at the abbey's La Torre restaurant, we paid about $33 for two for a three-course dinner with dessert, wine, bread and coffee. The cost for the lodging was $40 a night.

Betania: Within a five-minute walk from Piazza Garibaldi in the hill town of Cortona is Betania, a convent of the Poor Sisters of the Sacred Stigmata (the wounds of Christ). The building is relatively new, down a quiet lane just a few minutes walk from the main streets of Cortona.

One of the oldest towns in Tuscany, Cortona is small and its medieval character is still evident. It is perched on Monte San' Egidio and overlooks the Val di Chiana (Chiana Valley). From the walls one can look across the valley to Montepulciano and see a part of Lake Trasimeno. Frances Mayes, the author of Under the Tuscan Sun and Bella Tuscany, lives nearby during her summer vacations from a teaching position at California State University.

[Photo: Brenda Anderson]

A guest room at the Monte Oliveto Maggiore abbey includes this bed from the early 1800s.

Our comfortable room had a shared bath, one of three on the floor for five guest rooms. No food was available at the convent, but Cortona's nearby alimentari (small food shops) have fresh cheese, fruit, bread and sausages. The convent terrace is a great spot for picnics.

The cost for two people per night is about $28.

Abbazia di San Galgano: While not a religious institution now, the Abbey of San Galgano is a marvelous place to visit. It was the inspiration for Siena Cathedral.

Located 18 miles southwest of Siena, the ruins of San Galgano stand alone in the midst of grain and sunflower fields. The Romanesque-Gothic abbey was built by Cistercian monks between 1224 and 1288. It has been without a roof for centuries.

On a hill above the church stands a Romanesque rotunda with an unsupported dome. Etruscan and Roman tombs inspired the design.

Travelers cannot stay at San Galgano, but across the fields from the ruined church is what is called an affittacamera. The word means "rented rooms." An affittacamera may be a house or a business where one or several rooms are rented to travelers. The owners of the Cooperativa Agricola San Galgano (actually a farm) run the place as a sideline.

Our room with private bath was on the second floor. Perfectly framed in the window were the ruins of San Galgano, lighted at night.

Visitors can have breakfast and lunch in a small restaurant in the same building that houses the affittacamera, but dinner is not offered. There is a coffee bar/restaurant/food store in the nearby village of Palazzetto. The restaurant was closed the night we went so we had a dinner in the bar with plates of cheese, tomatoes, prosciutto, bread, olive oil, wine, desserts and coffees.

The light bar meal cost about $13 for two people. A room with a private bath at the affittacamera costs about $40 a night. Because religious houses are not hotels with a cosmopolitan staff, it helps if you can speak some Italian as you make your arrangements.

However, do not be reluctant to try this lodging option because of a lack of fluency in Italian. In the front of Barish's The Guide to Lodging in Italy's Monasteries, there is a sample letter requesting reservations, which you can send to the various institutions in which you would like to stay.

And we found that Italians are amazingly helpful: Try to speak Italian with them, and they will do anything to understand you.

- Reynold Dacon is a freelance writer who lives in Mesa, Ariz.

If you go

To contact the institutions mentioned:

Santuario della Verna. Contact Suor (Sister) Priscilla; call 0575 599025 in the summer, 0575 534249 in the winter; fax to 0575 599320.

Santuario Della Verna Localita Chiusi di Verna. Write to 52010, Chiusi di Verna (AR) Italy.

Abbazia di Monte Oliveto Maggiore. Contact Padre (Father) Foresterario at Abbazia di Monte Oliveto Maggiore Localita Chiusure, Monte Oliveto 53020, Asciano (SI) Italy. Call 0577 707611; fax to 0577 707070.

Betania. Write to Instituto Povere Figlie delle Sacre Stimmate Via G. Severini, 50 52044 Cortona (AR) Italy. Speak with anyone who answers 0575 62829.

Abbazia di San Galgano, for the nearby affittacamera. Call 0577 756292. Write to Cooperativa Agricola San Galgano Localita San Galgano 53012, Chiusdino (SI) Italy.

THE BOOKSHELF: The Guide to Lodging in Italy's Monasteries, by Eileen Barish, Anacapa Press, published 1999, $22.95.

Bed and Blessings, by June and Anne Walsh, Paulist Press, published 1999, $16.95.

Under the Tuscan Sun, by Frances Mayes, Broadway Books, $13.

Bella Tuscany, The Sweet Life in Italy, by Frances Mayes, Bantam Doubleday, $15.

Here are some books about monasteries and convents in the United States that offer lodging:

Sanctuaries, A Guide to Lodgings in Monasteries, Abbeys and Retreats, by Jack and Marcia Kelly, Bell Tower Publishing, 1996, $18.

A Guide to Monastic Guest Houses, by Robert J. Regalbuto, Morehouse Publishing, 1998, $17.95.

AUTOMOBILE RENTAL: We flew into Rome's Fiumicino Airport and picked up our rental car there. For better rates, arrange your car rental before you leave the United States.

If you are two people, resist the temptation to rent other than mini cars. In 1999 and in 2000, with two people and luggage, we rented two-door minis (a Ford Ka and a Fiat Punto). Our two roll-aboards and two carry-on bags fit easily. Minis fit the streets in the small, medieval villages you will want to visit.

We passed on air-conditioning, which would have cost more and required a larger car. We were comfortable.

Even though you will be paying more than $5 a gallon for benzina (gas), your mini will get good mileage, so you will hardly notice dropping $45 for a tankful.

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