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Villa Francescatti
Salita Fontana del Ferro 15, 37129 Verona (Verona)
Tel (045) 590360
Website www.ostellionline.org
Price
Dorm bed €20 (€17 HI/AIG)
Prices are in local currency and are inclusive of all taxes.
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Last Update:
November
30, 2008
Travellers' reviews for Villa Francescatti
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Displaying Reviews:
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Beautiful hostel in a beautiful city , crummy rules, March 16, 2005
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Reviewer:
Jen
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Our first problem with the hostel was that the staff didn't speak any english, or pretended not too. It was quite funny when my dad tried to call to see if they had room. But this is understandable as we were in a foreighn country and we didn't speak Italian. The walk wasn't bad for us although on a subsiquent night we met two girls who had much bigger packs and I manged to get them a litlle lost going farther up the hill, wich was hard for them. The lockout wasn't bad for us because we spent a full day with the verona card (good idea when in verona)checking out all of the churches and musiums. But the curfew really sucked. The first night we arrived late and so had to run and get dinner quikly ( we found an exelent pizza joint down the street at the bottom of the hill to the left (vegitarian pizza with carrrots on it mmm.) By the time we finished dinner it was like ten to 11 I was worried about the curfuew so I went back my dad needed his nightly beer though so whent to the irish pub at the bottom of the hill he arrived back at about 1115 and had to pound on the door to get back in. The grounds were so njeet there is cool secret passageways through the building at the back a little disiponting once we got a flashlight but cool none the less. Also whats with the lab back there ? would be great fun for kids to explore. Breakfast was unsatisfing but it was nice to have water.
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4 of
8 people found this review helpful
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No other choice in Verona, December 11, 2004
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Reviewer:
jaypandolfo
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This hostel was OK. It's really easy to find once you get off the bus, as there are signs everywhere pointing to it. It's pretty close to everything. And it's cheap. 13.50 is a good deal in Italy. The beds were clean, the bathrooms all had hot water. In short, it was like just about every other HI hostel in the world, except this one has a really great yard to relax in. The curfew is obviously a pain in the ass, but Verona didn't really seem like very much of a party city. A decent hostel in a beautiful and very likeable city.
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4 of
4 people found this review helpful
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another good italian hostel, November 16, 2004
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Reviewer:
bootyshaker
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hey now, this is the place to stay if you want cheap. i read all the reviews after staying there. yes there is a curfew and yes there is a lockout. what do you all expect for 13.50 euros? bedrooms and bathrooms clean. the hostel is excellently signposted from the bus stop. if you get lost, then you can't follw large yellow signs. yes it is a little uphill but it is nothing. it is an easy walk. great grounds, great buuilding. the lobby and common rooms are open all day (and the common room has a piano) so you are only locked out of the bedrooms. you can use the toilets all day too. yes the lockout is long--until 5 pm. tough. it is a hostel. if you want a room for the day, then splash out for a hotel room. this hostel was great fro a cheap place to stay. the breakfast was basic but once again only 13.50 euros for bed and breakfast.
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5 of
5 people found this review helpful
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Great hostel!, November 8, 2004
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Reviewer:
Fedfe
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My girlfriend and I stayed here July 2004 and we loved it! We liked it so much that we decided to make a day trip to venice and stay at the hostel in Verona. It is a stunning villa with fantastic grounds. They have a hearty dinner every night which you have to sign up for before 630 and it is worth it. The only downside is that they have an annoying lock out from 10-5 or something which is a pain if you are tired and just want to chill. But it is a nice place, in fact the only place I have been that have a gardner on staff!
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1 of
1 people found this review helpful
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Really social hostel, September 10, 2004
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Reviewer:
annabobanna
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Not a bad place at all. Met loads of great people here - even someone from the same tiny, rural area as me! The hostel itself is clean with nice big bathrooms, but it does get unbearably hot in the (tiny!) dorm rooms at night. The staff were present but that's about all you could say about them. One thing to prepare yourself for - this hostel is up a REALLY BIG HILL! And i mean big. In 38 degree heat i think your brain just shuts down and you carry on on auto-pilot! Another tip - BUY A BUS TICKET!!!! You've got to do this before you board (buy tickets at the Tabbachi) or you WILL get fined. The locals have clearly cottoned on to the fact that backpackers use the buses in droves and don't know they have to buy tickets. On our way back to the station our bus was stopped by officials and everyone was ordered to show their ticket. Fines of 20 euros are handed out on the spot and you have to pay immediately. Two girls we met were frog marched to the ATM machine!!! For the love of God, buy bus tickets - or be prepared to waste a night's accommodation money!
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2 of
2 people found this review helpful
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3 of
3 people found this review helpful
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I loved it, February 15, 2004
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Reviewer:
Tim Partlett
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The location is fantastic, and the buildings that house the hostel are beautiful, but it is a hike up the hill to get there, and easy to get lost. It was 30 degrees the day I arrived, and I was exhausted with only a small backpack, and others who climbed the hill with worse, seemed to be on death's doorstep. It's worth the effort, though, and once you dump the baggage, the walk into town is a joy, and the views from the rooms.... well you'll probably want to take a few pictures just of the hostel itself, and its environs.Yes, it does have a curfew, and they do kick you out during the day, but if you want a party place where you can drink 24 hours a day, go to Milan just a little further on. This place is for rest and recuperation, and for soaking up the beauty of the town. The place is also good for socialising, and you can drink out in the garden with the other guests until late on warm summer evenings. It probably sucks in winter, though, as there didn't appear to be any other form of communal area.It was a slightly odd place, so don't come expecting a cookie-cutter hostel. You may also find your experience differs a lot depending on the time of year, and where you get placed in the hostel, as it is big, and with very different sections. I was placed far out in the back of the garden, in a small building by what looked like a kind of grotto. That proved to be very clean and comfortable, and away from the noise that can be generated by the people enjoying themselves in the garden. The staff didn't speak a great deal of English, but they were friendly enough, and they tried.I had great fun, and would definitely go back.
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2 of
3 people found this review helpful
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Beautiful Location and very cheap, January 20, 2004
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Anonymous
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I feel for the last reviewer, and dont doubt that this would have made the stay extremely unenjoyable, however I found this hostel to be excellent. Despite the curfew and the early morning (which seems to be the case with most Italian hostels, or at least in Verona) I was impressed with the extreme cleanliness of rooms, bathrooms, and the superb location. It is up a hill but its not that bad! I met some nice people and had a great time exploring the grounds. The breakfast is bread, jam and coffee or tea which is pretty standard. 13.50 euro a night is great value especially staying in such a palatial and historical building.
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1 of
1 people found this review helpful
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The WORST Hostel experience of my life, December 15, 2003
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Reviewer:
Richard Banks
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You'll get parking if there are any spaces left, or the person on staff is in a friendly mood. You'll get the worst continental breakfast and coffee ever known to man. And very uncomfortable beds and lousy shower conditions. Read on to see what other nonsense I got...It was my first night in Italy and I was travelling with my wife and sister in-laws family (with 2 kids and husband). We had travelled from Switzerland in two seperate cars (kids needed own seats) and entered Verona with no map at around 9pm. We had called the hostel hours ahead to verify vacancy and request a hold on two family rooms. After a true 2 hour struggle to find the place my sister-in-law managed to arrange her room and I met with the front staff person next. After offering my wife's and my own passports (her's is a German and mine an American, with different last names, since she has kept her fathers), the staff persons temperment immediatly changed. He was initially rude, but this altered to insulting. He stated that since we were not family, we had to sleep in the shared rooms: my wife with the 20 women and myself with the 35 men. Since my sister-in-laws family room had 2 empty beds available, I suggested we sleep with them - but the staff person was convinced that we were not in fact family and would not allow it. The debate went on past midnight. His obvious satisfaction in his position of minor power was ridiculous and in disdain for his threats of calling the police, my wife and I retired to her sister's room anyway. He soon knocked, demanded our passports, and I didn't see him again until the morning. He spit a vulgar tirade of Italy curses in my face at the breakfast table and I duly complained to the next staff person, a kinder gentler lady, about the nightmare this idiot had created for me and my family. Her reply was that it must have been a misunderstanding, knowing full well that it was not. It was obvious to me, by her complatency, that she had been through this many times before. When I pressed my frustrations a last time before leaving, she mentioned that it was simply hard to find any one to work the night shift and was stuck with the fool. The grounds were very nice, but I will never see them again, and doubt I will go back to Verona. Best to find another rest stop. (This is a very abridged version of what we and others must go through at the Villa Francescatti....)
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4 of
8 people found this review helpful
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Don't do it to yourself!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, October 19, 2003
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Reviewer:
Ann-Marie
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Where does one start? Well as other reviews say get there early to get a bed. Yeah I did that with my friends travelled for 4 hours roughly, hauled ass up that hill, and then at 9.30 in the morning was told to come back at 5.30. WHAT? That is a whole 8 hours. Smelly, sweaty, tired, hungry!!! Ok they tell you about the lockout, oh but its so unflexible. Prebooking would solve so much discomfort. But the dorms are alright. My frinds and I were lucky with the poeple we stayed with. We were all wrecked at night and all got up early to get going. So there was no keeping people awake. But the lights out at 12 solve that problem anyway. (Boarding School) Aswell guys and girls have seperate dorms.(Does convent spring to anyones mind). Personally I found it difficult to sleep, why? The sheeets and the beds were the noisiest ones I have ever slept in EVER. The sheets must have been strached twice, every time one moved all you could hear was rustling. I was teriffied to get comfortable in case I woke the entire hostel. And everytime you moved the bed would squeak. Ok a good thing, the showers were glorious!!!!!!!!!!!!! I know Sarah from Mexico said the oppsite, but its possible the showers varied from floor to floor. It wasn't a drity hostel. It was just one big downer. I would have slept on the floor of a mud hut quicker if there was a bit more life in it.The breakfeast, why bother really? A roll, some jam, coffeee, water, full stop. I don't drink tea/coffee so I had bread and water. (Ahem, prison). The curfew! Like Mary said about going to Gardaland. You have to leave before the night kicks off and race back to Verona. Ok the building is nice, the gardens alright, but you never get to see them, the staff were not very nice either, the breakfeast room - cold. All very clinical. I found the other reviews to be very misleading. Yet the book of comments in the hostel seemed to have nothing but negative comments. Perhaps it depends on what country you are from, possibly. For some reason I don't think its Irish peoples cup of tea. If you can find a different hostel, check it out before this one.Verona though well worth the visit, something about it is captivating. Just loved it.
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2 of
4 people found this review helpful
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