Locanda delle Donne Monache
Maratea - Italy

ABOVE: The swimming pool of the Locanda delle Donne Monache is just visible next to the "Mother Church" of Santa Maria Maggiore.

If you're a Sound of Music fan and have always dreamed of following Maria into (and out of) a nunnery, the Locanda delle Donne Monache will fill the bill without requiring that you take vows of poverty and obedience--or chastity, either, to judge from the basket of condoms next to Room 9's sunken bathtub.

The four-star hotel occupies a 300-year-old convent in Maratea, Italy, an ancient town built on the slopes of Mt. San Biagio about three hours south of Naples. Many of its 23 rooms and six suites overlook the tiled roofs of the village, while others face a pool terrace and gardens that have an ancient church and stuccoed houses as a backdrop.

The decor blends the ancient with the modern. In the small reception area, a huge wall clock driven by large gears, weights, and bicycle chains looks like something designed by a 21st Century Leonardo da Vinci. In the rooms that I visited, black wrought-iron beds were wrapped in curtains of striped red ticking, while sofas (in suites only) were upholstered in an off-white fabric that complemented the whitewashed or subtly tinted plaster walls.

Rooms and suites

The Locanda's guest accommodations are scattered over several floors, and each room is unique. All have private bath, air conditioning, satellite TV, radio, and telephone. Room service is available 24 hours a day.

Suites are more like junior suites than full-size suites. In the two suites that I visited, the sitting areas were small and rather narrow--more like entrance foyers with sofas than living rooms.

Bathrooms range from adequate to luxurious. If you're on a honeymoon or romantic getaway, you'll definitely want to splurge on Room 9, where the multilevel bathroom is a grotto carved into the rocky hillside.

Page 2 - Dining

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