A convent, a monastery…Consider staying somewhere other than a hotel in Italy

“Be back by 11:00, or you will be locked out for the night!”

Navigating the streets of Rome in a nine passenger oversized van was daunting.  The relentless  late afternoon traffic coupled with spotty GPS left us frazzled.  Pulling through the narrow gate of the convent tested our nerves, as cars parked on the narrow streets presented angles that would have challenged even Pythagoras, the king of angles and triangles with his amazing Pythagorean theorem for right triangles.   The “parking lot” inside the courtyard afforded enough space for one Fiat 500, a mini-car less than half the size of our monster van.  We left our bags behind in the van, along with our worries, as we entered the convent.  Our home in Rome for the next week was with the sisters of the Saint Bridget order.

The noise of the world faded as a kindly old nun took us to our rooms.  Older than any of us, perhaps older than all of us combined, she exuded serenity as she led us up the stairs, past the rope connected to the lone tower bell.  Her face glowed a bit as she showed us the chapel, and then  as she explained that daily prayer was not required during our stay. (IN CONTRAST TO YEARS PAST WHERE DAILY PRAYER WAS REQUIRED OF GUESTS.)

The out of the way location in the Trieste neighborhood of Rome lacked congestion caused by tourist buses in the city center.  The Trevi Fountain and other major attractions were a mile away, as were the crowds.  Our mornings began with a walk on the expansive park grounds of Villa Ada, followed by a limited but healthy breakfast.  The morning trek into the tourist zone included a stroll through the grounds of Villa Borghese, not a bad way to start the day.  Each day we visited the famous churches of Rome but often left feeling like we had been to a museum rather than a spiritual sanctuary.  Returning “home” to our convent each night we found ourselves immersed in the spirituality of the sisters, as they went about their work, their prayers, with the regular clicking of rosary beads as they walked the halls.  All the while, they provided their guests with the best hospitality in town.  

Although not pilgrims, we were certainly moved by the spirituality of the place, similar to Liz Gilbert’s convent sojourn in Eat, Pray, Love.   The understated beauty of the convent grounds and the solitude of the place contrastes with the low hum of distant traffic.  We were certainly moved by the spirituality of the place.  Our final morning, we opted to join the nuns for their prayers in the chapel.   As we parted, our hosts glowed with a smile and so did we.

Here is a link to that convent, should you decide to stay there.  The same site can be used to find other convents:

https://www.monasterystays.com/?d=Italy/Lazio/Rome/Via-Veneto/LAR207-accommodation

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Not all stays with the religious are so moving of the spirit.  Years ago we stayed in a monastery near Porto Venere, a promontory in the Bay of Poets near Cinque Terre.  This spectacular area was made famous by Lord Byron and Percy Shelley.  While the view from our window exceeded the descriptions of those venerable writers, the accommodations were unique.  A sign in the bathroom reminded all guests that bathing is required at least once per week.  Perhaps with all of that beauty and prayer, it is all too easy to forget to shower?  The body odor of other guests made the case for a window shorter than a week.  The point is that the surroundings were amazing, and the price was so low that it was blasphemy.  While the spirit may have not moved me during our stay, the natural landscape certainly did.