Cheap lodging in Italy

[Sandra Hoffman]

In the Sunday Travel Section of the Los Angeles Times came some cheap lodging
in Italy that I thought some of you might be interested in: Religious Guest
Houses.

Alma Domes, Via Camporegio 37, Siena; 39-577-44177. Rate is $46 for a
double, breakfast is an extra $5 per personl Reservations can be made by fax
011-39-577-4760. They do have private rooms with baths. Have about 30
rooms. Some of the rooms have balconies with marvelous views of the Duomo,
Has lots of ambience, but get there early in the day to get a room!

Casa di Santa Brigida, Piazza Farnese 96, Rome; 39-6-6889-2497. Guest house
entrance on Via Monserrato 54. Reservations can be guaranteed in advance
with a credit card. The rate is $71 per person, including breakfast.
Reservations should be made far in advance. The beauty of this convent
and its Brigittine sisters, who have a reputation for kindness, help account
for its popularity. It's located near the Pantheon and opposite the Palazzo
Farnese. Some of the sisters speak English. Rooms have telephones and
private baths.

Fraterna DOmus, Via Monte Brianzo 62, Rome; 39-6-688-02727. Singles with
bath cost about $32 and without bath $27; doubles with a bath $59. Lunch or
dinner an extra $10 per person. There is an 11 pm curfew. Location is
between the Piazza Navona and the Tiber River, easy walk to the Vatican,
Spanish Steps, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain and other sites. The clientele are
from all over the world.

Signora di Lourdes, Via Sistina 113, Rome; 39-6-4745-324. Pay in Italian
lire only. The cost is about $59 for a double with bath. Reservations
should be made far in advance.

San Giuseppe della Montagna, VIale Vaticano 88, Rome; 39-6-3972-3807. Cash
and credit cards are accepted. The rate is about $28 per person, including
breakfast.

Seminario Sant'Andrea, Viale Vittorio Veneto 2, Volterra; 39-588-86028.
Rooms with baths cost $20 per person; those without are $16 per person.
Attractive and pleasant, it has 30 rooms. A five-minute walk from the town
center, the convent has large, quiet rooms that open off wide hallways
adorned with frescoes.

Istituto San Giuseppe, Ponte della Guerra, Castello, Venice;
011-39-41-522-5352. Price $22 per person per night. A convent guest house
open year-round in the Castello quarter, close by the Piazza San Marco.
There is no sign, nothing to tell a passerby it took in lodgers. No English
spoken. It has 15 rooms all with private baths. No meals are served.
Curfew is 11 pm. Rooms fairly modern. five short blocks of St. Marks Sq.

Please be aware that few of the guest houses have tvs in the rooms and most
beds are singles; unmarried couples would probably not be welcomed and many
of the lodgings have curfews. Booking in advance by telephone can also be
problematic, unless you can solicit the help of a friend who speaks Italian.

Sandra