Sui Passi di Francesco

We only ate dinner here, and everything was nicely prepared. There are lots of pilgrim decorations for people walking the St Francis route, but the menu goes well beyond the usual pilgrim meal. I especially loved the Cioccolato Bianco con Gelato artigianale al Pistacchio e Sbriciolata di Biscotto Amaretto.

The bathroom was clean, bright, and functional, but the rooms we were eventually shown were up in the attic. Neither my daughter nor I could stand upright in about half the space, and she hit her head on the masonry ceiling three times. The owner also gave strict instructions not to adjust the air conditioning, though it wasn’t very cold. I would not recommend this place, and we will never let our travel agency book us here again. We arrived exhausted and overheated after walking 16km all day, with my daughter and teenage grandchildren. The two women in charge were still serving lunch in the small, single-room restaurant, and that was the only place to register and get our rooms and keys. Around 15 diners watched us standing there sweating. One woman told us to wait, but gave no directions about where to wait or for how long. After 5-10 minutes, my daughter and grandson sat in two chairs just inside the door, only a few feet from diners. Between the chairs was a little stool, squeezed right in front of a desk with a plexiglass screen and a small opening for passing money, basically a reception window. My mature 14-year-old granddaughter sat carefully on the stool. Behind it, nearly hidden and partly under the desk, was a glass table set on a statue pedestal. When she sat down, the table fell and the base broke, though the glass top somehow stayed intact. It was an accident, and she was very embarrassed in front of everyone. The woman later kept saying it was not a place to sit, but the stool had a soft cushioned top, was made of steel, and I sat on it myself later without any problem. The woman wanted us to pay €300 for what she called an expensive “table.” We felt the accident could have been avoided if we hadn’t been left waiting awkwardly and exhausted among the diners without instructions, and if such a delicate item hadn’t been placed in a busy spot right behind and partly under the stool. To us, that expense should have been part of doing business, and a reason not to put fragile things where people are constantly moving around. After a few emails with our agent, we OFFERED €100 as a gesture of good faith. As we were leaving, she accepted and asked for it in cash. We then waited to leave until the transfer service had picked up our bags.

The room was on the small side, and when the fridge didn’t work they replaced it right away. Parking is usually available, the staff are quite nice, and the bed was comfortable. The top comforter had a lot of dust on it, though. They changed everything out immediately, but it was concerning to see so much dust build up before it got washed.

We live locally, so we haven’t stayed at the hotel, but after traveling around Umbria I can say the restaurant never disappoints. The food is consistently delicious and the prices are reasonable. It seems to be a favorite stop for Assisi trail trekkers, and its downtown location is very convenient. The restaurant is immaculate, and the owner is friendly, both things I really appreciate. Check it out, you won’t be disappointed.