Hostel 7 Santi

The area is quiet and less touristy. It’s outside the city center, but close enough by bus or on foot. The kitchen has a kettle, fridge, and microwaves, but no stove, so you can’t cook at the hostel. Breakfast costs 5 euro and is pretty good, with nice indoor and outdoor seating areas. Towels are supplied, and the showers and bathrooms are good quality.

I liked the old lodging style of the hostel, which seems like it may once have belonged to the church next door. The second-floor shower was great, and there’s a bus stop right outside with a line that crosses the city to Santo Spirito. They’ll also store your luggage for free after checkout. I got the impression that the women in the shared dorm were mostly around 30-50 years old. That was a plus for me, since they came back early rather than in the morning like teenagers.

The night temperature was -3 degrees, and the window in my room had been left open. I told reception, but instead of offering a fix, they asked irrelevant things like “who opened it?” and “are they sleeping?” and acted as though I had to figure out what to do. I explained clearly that the room was freezing and I’d get sick if I slept there. Only after I insisted several times did someone come up. The air conditioner remote was hanging on the wall, but they noticed it about ten minutes later. The unit showed 22 degrees on its screen, yet it wasn’t working properly and did nothing to warm the room. They left, and the room stayed freezing. They refused my request to change rooms and said they’d “look at it tomorrow morning.” There had also been no hot water the day before, so I had to shower in ice-cold water. Between that and the freezing room, the stay was unbearable. I couldn’t sleep peacefully, and the place was especially chaotic and noisy at night. The towels and bedsheets were clean, but the location is far from the center and there’s no transport late at night. I felt my money was completely wasted and deeply regretted staying here. Guest comfort, handling problems, and professionalism were all extremely poor. They only act if you push hard, if that even counts as action. I definitely don’t recommend it. I didn’t stay in these areas myself, but from what I saw, my friend’s mixed dorm and the men’s dorms looked prison-like and extremely uncomfortable. I’d suggest paying a little more for somewhere that treats guests with respect and tries to solve problems.

The rooms and shared areas were clean, and lockers are available. There’s no stove in the kitchen. Breakfast isn’t included, but it’s worth buying: it was tasty and reasonably priced. The place is outside the city center, though public transport connects it well.