Once upon a time I took my first trip to Italy. As part of that I stayed in an itty bitty, teeny tiny town called Bagnacavallo in the province of Ravenna. My travel friend was doing a college project on a theater festival happening in the neighboring town which was 3 kilometers away.
We got a few strange looks as we entered this little town - obviously we didn't fit in, and it was strange for tourists to be in this quiet part of the world. That just made it more fun for us.Of course we were poor and backpacking through Europe so a Hostel was the logical choice of accommodations. And there was only one choice in hostels in this little corner of Italy. The Antico Convento di San Francesco. It was . . . . incredible.
The halls echoed as we walked through the stone halls to our own private room. It had a set of two bunk beds, a bathroom and shower included in the room, and an old wooden door with our very own key. For a hostel that's a fairly luxurious room to stay in. We stayed there for 2 nights and it was amazing.The convent became a hostel during the Jubilee in 2000, and underwent careful restoration during the process. It is also used for exhibitions, conferences, and meetings. It was built in the 13th century and is considered to be the most ancient convent of Ravenna Province. The structure was reshaped and partly reconstructed a few times during that century. In 1766 a new refectory on the north side of the convent was completed.
It's definitely one of the coolest places I've stayed in while traveling.
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