Locanda Rondinella

We got our money back and went to eat somewhere else after being treated terribly. We’d bought a half-board coupon for New Year’s Eve dinner for my partner and me, and the poster made it look like a nice, well-organized evening. Instead, everything was chaotic and seemed much more focused on money and quantity than quality. They had taken more people than the restaurant could handle, and complaints were coming from everywhere. We had booked for two and expected a table for two, but were put at a table for ten with other people, with two seats that weren’t even beside each other. When we complained amid all the confusion, the repeated, irritated reply was, “There’s no room, we can’t do otherwise.” They even said we should have told them in advance that the two of us wanted a table for two. Shouldn’t that be the obvious arrangement? No one had told us about these conditions. We noticed some empty tables for two and asked to move, but were told those were for people who had booked and already paid. Hadn’t we done that too? Absurd 😂 The girl named Eva was extremely rude and presumptuous, answering us rudely and arrogantly several times. Her aunt even apologized for her behavior and said she still had a lot to learn about treating customers and dealing with the public. There were three people at reception all doing the same thing, while a line of people waited.

The rooms need some work. Ours had no mini-bar or air conditioning, and there was a strange, unpleasant smell that I couldn’t trace, maybe from the mattress. The lack of maintenance takes away from what is otherwise a beautiful location. The dining room is wonderful and feels like stepping into the Middle Ages. I only ate a little, but I can’t complain about the food quality.

The staff were friendly, but the rest of the stay fell short of what we expected for the price of our half-board coupon. The property feels dated, and our room was particularly worn, especially the bathroom. There was no hairdryer or WiFi, which wasn’t a major issue, though those are common in hotels now. Breakfast was poor and served carelessly. The first dinner, with pizza, was tasty and generous, but the second was disappointing: the food wasn’t very good, and there wasn’t even a main course. Dinner service also seemed a little disorganized.

This family-run inn is about 2 km from the center of Montefiascone, which makes it a convenient, affordable base for visiting town. The road is somewhat noisy. There’s reserved parking, though it isn’t attended, and some first-floor rooms open onto a huge terrace with a lovely nighttime view of Montefiascone. It’s 18 steps up to the rooms, which are small but have a shower, sink, and bidet. Most of the locks, shutters, and handles were stuck or hard to open, and really need maintenance. With a bit of work, it could be a good base for exploring the area. I hope to see some improvements on my next visit. And maybe they’ll send the invoice this time, as promised by email when my PC was broken. It’s been eight months, and I’m still waiting!