Thanks to National Geographic’s ‘25 best places to travel to in 2025’ list, we have seen a spike in interest in Cenobitic Monasteries in Italy, and rightly so! These are some of the most beautiful buildings and communities in Europe, so in our eyes, visiting a monastery is definitely worth adding to your bucket list, whether you are religious or not.
When referring to Cenobitic Monasticism, we are talking about a type of Monasticism based around community. Those who follow a Cenobitic lifestyle live within a monastery, surrounded by other monastics, they come together with their peers for prayer and mealtimes and work together in gardens, guesthouses and workshops to sustain their lifestyle. You will also find that Cenobitic monasteries are often open to receiving visitors, and the monastics are happy to mingle amongst lay people. This is in contrast to Hermits, who follow an older way of living, wherein religious people would withdraw themselves from regular society, in order to commit their lives to God.
There are many Cenobitic monasteries across Italy, some of which welcome guests, and others which aren’t open for overnight stays, but are still very worth visiting for their architecture, views, homemade produce and an insight into the lifestyle. If you are welcomed as an overnight guest at a cenobitic monastery, you may be expected to join in with their daily timetable of mealtimes and prayer.
If you are looking for a more flexible religious retreat, you may also be interested in staying in a monastery guesthouse, which is a simple hotel run by a religious community, often attached to a working monastery. In a guesthouse you can expect a lot of similar features to a monastery, such as the architecture, community feel and room style, but you have some more freedom if you wish to have dinner out of the premises. From here, you can make a day trip to visit other cenobitic monasteries.
Understandably, Rome is a hotspot for religious properties, you can find many places to stay on Monasteries.com such as
Casa Il Rosario and
San Giuseppe House, both of which are religious guesthouses run by nuns, and are eager to welcome guests for holidays in the Eternal City from as little as 50 euros a night.
Montecassino Abbey
From Rome, it is possible to reach one of the best known Cenobitic monasteries in Italy, Montecassino Abbey, in under two hours. This monastery was founded by St. Benedict himself around 529 AD and is famous for Birra Montecassino, beer from the worlds oldest brewing abbey. Slightly closer and ideal for visiting during a trip to Rome is the Abbazia di San Paolo Fuori le Mura, which is a cenobitic monastery actually in Rome, while overnight stays are not possible, it is a very popular pilgrimage site due to it being the home to the tomb of St. Paul.
Monthly average highs in Rome
If you are planning a trip to Rome, or any other Italian city for that matter, we would suggest visiting in spring or autumn, rather than the summer. The summer months in Rome can become unbearably hot, even the locals tend to escape the city during August.
With regard to food in Rome, you are spoilt for choice - many properties on Monasteries.com have their own restaurants, where it is possible to sample their own homegrown produce and traditional local meals, so this is a great glimpse into local cuisine.
Alternatively, we recommend the historic Testaccio Market, where you can find plenty of fresh produce and local chefs. When in Rome there are of course the 4 main pasta dishes which every guide book will tell you to try: Amatriciana, Gricia, Carbonara and Cacio e Pepe, and there are plenty of Trattorie across Rome where you can sample these wonderful dishes, but we would recommend heading into the trendy Trastevere and getting dinner somewhere like Da Enzo al 29 or Tonarello. As a lover of Naples and Neapolitan pizza, I wouldn’t typically recommend Roman pizza, but I will make an exception for Bonci Pizza, conveniently located near the Vatican, so a perfect stop off after a morning exploring the Sistine Chapel and Vatican Museums. For beer lovers, you may also be interested in the Antica Birreria Peroni. For those with a sweet tooth, Pompi Tiramisu claims to be the ‘King of tiramisu’; a claim worth investigating.
Trastevere in Rome, Italy
It is of no surprise to us that National Geographic chose to mention monasteries when discussing the best places to visit in 2025, as this is a hugely important year for religious tourism. 2025 is the year of the Jubilee, the ‘Holy Year’, millions of pilgrims are expected to visit Rome and Italy throughout the year. For this reason, accommodation will be expensive and harder to find than usual, so turning to a monastery may be a great, lesser - considered option. During the Jubilee year, the holy doors to the 4 major papal basilicas in Rome are opened, one of which being the aforementioned Abbazia di San Paolo Fuori le Mura. The opening of the doors is an event which only happens once every 25 years, so it’s a rare opportunity for pilgrims to experience passing through the doors as part of their pilgrimage, which is supposed to symbolise receiving God's mercy and a renewal of your spiritual journey.
St Peter's Square, Rome
The pope will also be holding many special masses, services and processions throughout the year, a lot of which will be held in St Peter's Square. You’ll also find that there are lots of religious events and concerts going on to celebrate.
Of course when you visit Rome you must also see the typical sights like the colosseum, trevi fountain and the vatican. Although popular amongst tourists, these sights are genuinely a spectacle so you definitely can’t miss out.
Colosseum, Trevi Fountain and the Vatican
Many monasteries have their own community run businesses, where you are welcomed to sample local produce such as beers, wines, honeys and jams. Often, monasteries are self-sustained so by supporting the small shops within monasteries, or by eating at a monastery run restaurant, or staying overnight in a monastery, you are supporting the community. You can find out more about monastery made produce in the
Craft and Contemplation blog on Monasteries.com.
Further afield from Rome, but no less beautiful, is the Cenobitic Foresteria Monastica Santo Spirito in Agrigento, which can also be found on Monasteries.com. This is another property which is popular for its local produce, specifically a range of great sweet treats. Sicily is an incredible place to visit, for its beautiful sea and some of the best food in the world. While there is so much religious tourism to be done in Sicily, you cannot leave without enjoying the local food; arancini, seafood, cannoli, try everything you can.
When visiting the seaside in Italy, we would recommend visiting in June and September, when the weather is wonderful but not too hot, and all the Italians are still at work (Italians tend to take their holiday during August), so it is slightly less busy and less expensive.
