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Bed and Blessings Italy: A Guide to Convents and Monasteries Available for Overnight Lodging [Paperback]

June Walsh (Author), Anne Walsh (Author)
3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)


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Book Description

March 1999
The first comprehensive travel guide to accommodations in convents and monasteries, Bed and Blessings Italy will delight travelers from the first intriguing page to the last. From Rome to Ravello and Sienna to Sicily, Bed and Blessings Italy reveals extraordinary accommodations for budget and savvy travelers alike. Life behind the mysterious monastic walls is a journey into another time, another place -- very much in the real world, yet one step removed. Many of the houses are former palaces and villas, filled with exquisite antiques and religious artwork. All are open to people of any faith, or none at all, whether alone, as a couple or with a family.

In the Jubilee year 2000 Italy expects 30 million visitors, more than 8 times the annual amount! Many will stay in convents and monasteries, which hitherto, people have known about mainly through word-of-mouth. Now, Bed and Blessings Italy will offer travelers a real insider's guide to some of Italy's hidden treasures.

Bed and Blessings Italy is an imaginative and well-researched guide featuring 131 convents and monasteries in some of Italy's finest areas. Mother-daughter team June and Anne Walsh spent two years researching the places in their book, traversing 13 regions of Italy and visiting more than 300 sites. For each entry, the book gives a description of both the physical place and the atmosphere, as well as address, fax and phone numbers, price, number of rooms, availability of meals, languages spoken, directions, and so on. Plus, there is useful information for traveling in Italy in general -- how to make phone calls, use public transportation, etc. Sample forms are provided in Italian to ease the writing or faxing of requests. In addition, the book is illustrated with more than 50 detailed maps and color photos of some of the picturesque houses.



Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

What better way to get a feel for such a religious country as Italy than to stay at its local convents and monasteries? "For budget-wise and savvy travelers alike, this can mean paradise," the Walshes point out in this unique directory. Visitors get not only a great bargain but also a different perspective on Italian history and culture. This easy-to-use guide covers all the main regions of Italy, including Tuscany and Campania, and lists all essential information: prices, contact phone numbers, excellent maps, and directions. This will add spark to any travel collection.?Stephanie Papa, Baltimore Cty. Circuit Court Law Lib., Towson, MD
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

". . . This book will add spark to any travel collection." -- Library Journal, 11/15/98

". . . What lies between the pages of this book is far more than a round-up of often beautiful places to stay on the cheap, accompanied by maps and a few color photos. No, this might well be a guide to encountering Italy's soul, as it is expressed in the lives of the men and women who've opened their cloisters to secular pilgrims." -- Chicago Tribune, 3/14/99

"Travelers can perhaps discover a bit of tranquility in this guide to 131 places that welcome guests at bargain rates. The mother-daughter authors, June and Anne, respectively, describe Casa Maria Immacolata in Assisi, "Entering through an arched doorway, one is warmly greeted by the sisters, who delight in showing their home to visitors. . . ." -- Newsday, 4/4/99

Product Details

  • Paperback: 224 pages
  • Publisher: Paulist Press (March 1999)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0809138484
  • ISBN-13: 978-0809138487
  • Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #607,427 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

18 Reviews
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3 star:
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Average Customer Review
3.8 out of 5 stars (18 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

76 of 78 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars A fun way to review alternative lodgings!, October 11, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: Bed and Blessings Italy: A Guide to Convents and Monasteries Available for Overnight Lodging (Paperback)
I was sent this book some weeks ago and I enjoyed reading at it. I was gladly impressed about the author's humor, just beacuse all of their comments are true. I am Italian and I live in Rome since I was born and it happens to me to work with these places when I eventually welcome people from Italy and all over the world. I also was well impressed about the honesty of the writers in describing places in and out as well as their location. Besides limited curfew times, which can turn your visit into a problem if you wish to stay out forward, these are the places to go especially if you plan to spend most of your time visiting the city. They are cheap, clean and most of all, centrally located! So, why spending a fortune into hotel rooms when you can easily get what you need for much less? I hope to find an update edition soon! Keep up a good work guys!
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45 of 45 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Must For All Budget Travelers to Italy, October 14, 2000
By 
Margaret Secor (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Bed and Blessings Italy: A Guide to Convents and Monasteries Available for Overnight Lodging (Paperback)
I just returned from Italy where I stayed in three of the listed guest houses. The prices ranged from $18 to $30 per night per person. The prices were close to those listed in the book, but be sure to confirm. The three houses I visited were all professionally operated and I was pleasantly surprised with the experience.

Many of the guest houses' rates are per person, and this is a big plus for those traveling alone. Men were welcome in many of the convents, but some convents only allow women.

Most of the guest houses take reservations by fax only and the book includes a sample request for information and a reservation form in Italian.

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31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Bed and Blessings, July 21, 2000
By A Customer
This review is from: Bed and Blessings Italy: A Guide to Convents and Monasteries Available for Overnight Lodging (Paperback)
Bed and Blessings lists charming and out-of-the-way places to stay in Italy. Besides the popular places to visit, such as Rome, Florence and Venice, the authors cover less-traversed regions. There are few better ways to get a feel for and to explore the country. The disadvantages about many of the places listed, is that they do not accept credit cards, and that little or no mention is made about restrooms and whether one can get a private restroom.
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