Hotel Rigoletto

For a three-star hotel, I’d give it five stars. Sometimes life gets tiring where you are, and you want to get away. Being in a foreign country, far from the one you were born in, can bring a sense of alienation and make you lose your sense of purpose. At Rigoletto Hotel, the people there reminded me again of how tiring it can be to visit Italy. They’re elderly people. The elderly owner doesn’t speak English, but she still comes out to greet guests. Everyone who works at Rigoletto lives there too. The elderly waiters and waitresses kindly served dinner: pasta with tomato sauce, beef rolls, pickled garlic and onions, and bread baked at the hotel for dessert. With a glass of wine, I could enjoy the meal, the atmosphere, and the hospitality of a rural Italian village. People can sometimes dislike and hate others, or feel bored, but I want to thank the hotel family again for helping me forget those moments of boredom and exhaustion. After about a 30-minute drive along a country road, you reach the hotel. There are stairs and a sidewalk where you can pull your luggage, and only one elevator. Above the small front desk is a cute plastic fishbowl, with a fairly large birdcage opposite. The little lobby is lovely, with a large, bright television beside reception. The restaurant is inside, next to the front desk, and breakfast starts at 6:30 AM. The rooms are medium-sized, neat, and well arranged, with a peaceful feel. The bathroom and toilet were very clean too. There’s steam heating, with a second, smaller heater in the bathroom. The bed was comfortable. It’s a small but warm hotel with kind people who make you feel like you’ve been back in Italy. The drawbacks are that heating can be a bit insufficient in winter, there are drafts, which are a problem in European houses, water pressure is weak, and hot water depends on the time of day.

Members of the TRENTINO Athletics Committee stayed here for two days during the Italian Athletics Championships in Parma. The beds were uncomfortable, with sagging mattresses, and everyone complained about the awful food at both dinner and breakfast, including expired jams and biscuits. I don’t think there’s much more to say.

The hotel smelled awful, looked like it was decorated in the 1970s, and had lots of bugs and hornets. The outlets didn’t work either. The cleaning staff were a disaster. It seemed they’d forgotten to hide signs of going through personal belongings, including suitcases and cosmetic bags. I’d avoid the place. If you do stay, lock your suitcase.

It’s a very old building, but really beautiful. The rooms were excellent and very clean, the food was good, and there was a wide range of dishes. The staff were excellent too. I felt genuinely welcome and was treated very well.