Ostello Contessa Ava dei Lambardi

Clean and comfortable room in a renovated ancient monastery. Good 3 course meal.

Nothing

A great place to stop of the Via Francigena after a long day of hiking (and you don't have to make the climb to Monteriggioni) AND they have a washer and dryer AND a bar so you can have a spritz while waiting for your clothes to dry. We stayed in a private room which was huge, clean and comfortable. Had the pilgrim dinner but they were getting ready for a large banquet on the other side of the hall so food and service was a bit lacking and we had to endure the feedback as they were trying to set up the sound system, but it made for a good story the next stop. No breakfast but there is a bar right across the street to take care of you.

Wish they would have told us that they were getting ready for a banquet during our dinner.

Le site est superbe. L'hébergement est très simple, mais suffisant pour faire étape. Le jardin et les allées couvertes équipées de fauteuils et tables sont bienvenus pour se détendre après une journée de marche et ... siroter un Spritz préparé par le sympathique gérant du bar.

Le prix est un peu élevé au regard des prestations (ameublement basique, sanitaires communs du type "camping").

The location is certainly the biggest selling point for this hostel. It’s located on the Via Francigena about four kilometers shy of Monteriggioni; this makes it convenient stopping for people who are walking from San Gimignano to Siena. It’s also located in a beautiful 13th Century monastery, which includes a chapel and cloisters (*Note: the cloister area is undergoing a major restoration so is not accessible or visually appealing at the moment). The hostel is very basic and is clearly intended for backpackers/hikers walking the Via Francigena. We reserved the “standard king room” which had a king sized bed, linens, extra blankets and towels. There is a nice washroom with a small but good shower. While there is no climate control system in the room the space was kept cool by the thick stone walls. This was helpful for sleeping, but the remainder of the building was almost too cold - especially in the evening. Unadvertised and not showing up on Google maps is a charming little coffee shop, bar and small deli across the road from the hostel (in the former St. Martin Church). It’s a great place to go for coffee, snacks, wine, beer, cold non-alcoholic drinks and even some very basic meats and canned goods for the road. All that is very important due to lack of even basic amenities at the hostel.

The shortcomings of the hostel become evident straightaway. While they share two wifi networks and passwords there was no wifi to speak of in our room. Even on the second floor outdoor space the wifi was weak and spotty at best. The bed, while full size as advertised, was very uncomfortable. The pillows were old and flat/thin, and there were no extras to use. The room itself had only a small rack for clothes, and no real space to unpack and reorganize our packs. There were no racks or hooks to hang towels, and no cups (not even plastic ones) for water. The hostel does not offer a breakfast option - not even of the most basic variety. The lobby area had a kettle, a couple of 1.5l bottles of water, some tea bags and powdered coffees, and some apples (we got the last two). There is no option nearby for breakfast, at least not if you’re leaving early (we left at 7:00 a.m.), so be aware that you should pack your own food if you’re staying here.