The Hostelz.com Review
A hostel converted from a 500 year old mansion. There is a large lawn with a fountain and pathways that join the different buildings that make up the hostel. The lawn is a great place to hang out both at night and in the daytime. There are also indoor sitting areas.
The rooms range in size from a huge room with 50 beds to smaller dorm rooms. There are lockers (you must provide the padlock). On the downside, the bathrooms aren't too great, and the showers are the large communal type with no privacy. There is a very early 11:30 PM curfew, and the lockout starts bright and early at 9:00 AM and goes until 5:00 PM. Sheets and a minimal breakfast are included.
The rooms range in size from a huge room with 50 beds to smaller dorm rooms. There are lockers (you must provide the padlock). On the downside, the bathrooms aren't too great, and the showers are the large communal type with no privacy. There is a very early 11:30 PM curfew, and the lockout starts bright and early at 9:00 AM and goes until 5:00 PM. Sheets and a minimal breakfast are included.
by David
Hostelz.com Staff Reviewer
Their Description
HI - Verona - Villa Francescatti Hostel DetailsDetails
Checkout: 09:00 (9 AM)
Open Dates: All Year
Size: Very Large (101+ beds)
Reception Hours: 7 AM - 11:30 PM (07:00-23:30)
Free Amenities
Breakfast BedsheetsOther Features
Smoke-free Food/Restaurant Laundry TV Wheelchair AccessibleNot Offered
Credit Card Payments Wi-Fi in LobbyAges / Restrictions
Max. Age: All Ages
Map Location/ContactHow is HI - Verona - Villa Francescatti Hostel rated on other websites?
Hostelz.com Guest Reviews
Beautiful location -- but avoid it if you can Nothing more than a place to sleep. Big, unfriendly dorm. No light by the bed, nor electricity. Wifi some places, but not in dorms. Showers with no privacy, big metal zinks. Toilets without toilet seats. No soap (!). A sort of breakfast -- some dry bread, jam and coffee from bowls (?). Helpful staff, but not friendly. Many strange (and frightening) inhabitants makes the mood strange. A beautiful location with a garden and the building itself makes it a little bit better. Easy to get there, by foot or bus. If you can, find somewhere else. Verona is a beautiful and friendly city. — B. B., age 20, Norway (2013-05-19) Not a party hostel The bathrooms have been redone and there were five showers for men that offered complete privacy and a changing area with hooks for clothes. Very friendly management that spoke good English. Very clean. Beautiful views. I took the bus from the train station but it might be quicker to walk if you aren't too tired. They still have the annoying lockout. I arrived at 4:15 and had to wait until 5 p.m. to take a shower. I went to the Opera and due to the lock-out, was told that I had to be back in the building thirty minutes after the opera ended. It ended at 1:08 a.m. The walk from the opera to the hostel took about twenty minutes. There is a lot to see in Verona, but if you want to party, avoid this hostel. I paid 17 Euros and it included a bowl of coffee in the morning, bread, and a cookie. — Jim Wallace, USA (2008-07-13) Welcome to the 1950s hosteling The place is an old villa, which is nice to look at but at the same moment I thought, why aren't they fixing parts of it. I've been staying there a couple of times, because it is the cheapest to get in Verona. But entering the hostel and staying there will show you, how hostels were fifty or sixty years ago. Check in after 5 p.m., check out before 9 a.m., means an eight-hour lockout, even you will stay for a couple of nights. Breakfast is, well, there is one. Staff is friendly when they have to, or feel like it. There is a nice park area to sit down and have a picnic or read. Provided dinner sometimes for 8€ which is home cooked Italian food, worth trying, because it saves a walk into town. Overall, my guess is that if there is someone opening another hostel in Verona, they will lose every international traveler, because there is nothing else to do but rest your head. — opb.travel, GER/CAN (2008-04-15) More or less The hostel is a nice place, but such an early curfew is something that is impossible to bear. We went to the opera (Mind! Famous Italian Arena di Verona -- the place recognised by all over the world!) but had to leave at the middle of the performance because of the the curfew -- it is more than irritating, it's enraging! — Lisa, Israel (2007-08-27) Nil points horrific, the staff ignored us when we arrived, even when my girlfriend started crying. the bed sheets were somewhat rubbery, the boys showers were communal, there is a curfew, an early lock-out, and the breakfasts are nonexistent. The hostel is cheap but not worth what you pay to stay the night. I'm sure Verona is very nice but we could not bear to stay a second night here. — Jon, UK (2007-05-25) I do not recommend staying in this hostel. I stayed there with a friend for four nights and, honestly speaking, it was like torture. When taking a shower, the water was cold to ice cold every time. It was cold inside the building, and the blankets we were given were not warm enough - and this was in the spring when it was twenty to twenty-five degrees Celsius warm outside during the day. The bed linens were not clean. The first two mornings we were woken up by a dog that was barking loud right next to our room -- he started at 6:30 a.m. It also echoed in the room which made it difficult to sleep, even for me who is used to noise. There were lockers in the rooms but they couldn't be locked. On the last day we wanted to leave our luggage in the hostel, but it was only possible to leave them on the corridor where anyone could just have taken them. I was very disappointed in this hostel, as I had heard that the building is very beautiful and historical. It was, but if I can't sleep, store my luggage safely, take a shower, nor decide the times when I want to be in my room that I'm paying for, I don't actually care that much about the environment of the hostel. — Sara (2007-04-19) I am not a partier and usually keep early nights but as another guest said, this hostel takes the fun out of staying in Verona. Good points -- Gorgeous building. Bad Points -- Ridiculous curfews -- out by 9 a.m. is the worst I have seen in all my travels. Only good thing about breakfast is the fun of drinking out of bowls. No mixed dorms, and you can only stay in Private room if you have kids. Quite a walk uphill to the hostel especially with Bags. No secure bag storage -- we were not even questioned when we picked up our bags from the unlocked corridor despite a new person being at the desk. Worst of all the communal showers. If you are in the side building and want privacy while you shower either have a shower late at night or search for one in the main building. My husband tells me it is even worse in the men's with not even a shower curtain across the communal shower. — Lisa, Australian (2007-04-04) This is a nice hostel. It's a typical HI hostel, large, clean and a bit institutional. The lockout from 9 till 5 was a bit harsh, especially in the Verona heat. The bedding system is just odd, i.e., you have to hand in your last night's bedding every morning regardless of if you are staying or not, and then pick up new bedding in the afternoon. Beautiful building and really not that far from town, a nice walk. — Kiri (2005-07-20)