Name: Residenza Sant'Andrea
Address: Vico II Sant'Andrea 5/7, 86100 Campobasso, Italy, Campobasso, Campobasso, Campobasso, 86100, Italy
Rating: 8

Heating

General

Room service

Hairdryer

Shower/Bathtub

Shower

Wardrobe/Closet

Linens

Toiletries

Rooms

Free Wi-Fi

Internet

English

Italian

Languages Spoken

No parking

Parking

Beach/pool towels

Pool and beach

Location

At the hotel

Room amenities

Residenza Sant'Andrea

Campobasso

child-bed

child-bed-fee

external-private-bathroom

private-bathroom

shared-bathroom

10-beds

11-beds

12-beds

13-beds

14-beds

15-beds

16-beds

17-beds

18-beds

19-beds

2-beds

20-beds

21-beds

22-beds

23-beds

24-beds

25-beds

26-beds

27-beds

28-beds

29-beds

3-beds

30-beds

31-beds

32-beds

33-beds

34-beds

35-beds

36-beds

37-beds

38-beds

39-beds

4-beds

40-beds

5-beds

6-beds

7-beds

8-beds

9-beds

king-bed

queen-bed

limited-time

lounge

treatment

no-window

bay-view

bosphorus-view

canal-view

city-view

courtyard-view

garden-view

golf-view

harbour-view

inland-view

lake-view

land-view

mountain-view

ocean-front

ocean-view

oceanside

panoramic-view

park-view

partial-ocean-view

partial-sea-view

partial-view

pool-view

river-view

sea-front

sea-view

street-view

sunrise-view

sunset-view

water-view

with-view

annex

basement

main-building

1-bedroom

2-bedrooms

3-bedrooms

4-bedrooms

5-bedrooms

6-bedrooms

not-guaranteed

wired-internet-access

smoking

sauna

duplex

safe

mini-bar

breakfast-for-1

breakfast-for-2

pets-allowed

wi-fi

kitchen

Splendid and quiet bed and breakfast right in the medieval neighborhood of Campobasso. Excellent location and great if you want to sleep well in a clean environment and are not looking for too many amenities. Not suitable for people with movement impairments or big luggage, because there is no lift and the stairs within are narrow and steep.

Perfect for those who like to go away from it all.

I recently spent 2 nights at the Residenza Sant'Andrea B&B in campobasso.  I was there because i wanted to see the part of Italy my grandfather came from before he left for the United States as a teenager.  

I chose the Residenza Sant'Andrea B&B because of price, its location in the old part of town and because of good email communication with Tony, the owner.  For a single room and breakfast, i paid 30 euro a night.  I offered to pay in cash because i know that that makes a difference for the small business owner and was happy to do it.

I spent six hours on the train travelling to Campobasso from Paestum and when i arrived at the train station, i was supposed to call Tony and he would pick me up and drive me to the B&B.  Now, when i got out of the train station and tried to call Tony (using an Italian cellphone), i got the message "this phone number has been disconnected" (in italian).  After a few more tries to that number, his wife's number and another number Tony had given to me (all with the "disconnected" message), i was starting to worry.  But i had done my research and i knew where the B&B was located -- not that far from the train station, about a 10-15 minute walk.  

So when i wasn't getting any response on the phone, and no sign of anyone at the station, i decided to leg it up to the B&B.  The old part of cambobasso is not that big and it was very easy to find my way to the general vicinity of the B&B.  However, in the old part of town the little streets and street numbers are not clearly marked and there is no sign on the door indicating the b&b.

Now, i know all of this sounds like a horror story, but its not, its actually a good story.  Let me continue..  So having arrived in the vicinity of the b&b, but not being able to actually locate it, i decided to start asking around.  In a small town like campobasso, they don't see many tourists and it can be intimidating when you first arrive..  I call it the 'small town stinkeye' effect ;).  But i had been traipsing through small towns and villages in greece & italy for nearly 2 weeks by this point of my trip and i was ready for it.

So, i found a small family group down the street and boldly asked in my best pidgeon  italian "where is Vico Sant'Andrea 5/7?" (the address of the b&b).  Well, any apprehension was misplaced.  They immediately warmed to me and pretty soon there were 10-15 locals all falling over themselves trying to help me find the b&b.  It was great!  Eventually, the fellow who lived in the house in front of the b&b came by and he was able to call tony for me.  

Tony, of course, was at the train station waiting for me!  We must have missed each other by a few minutes.  The neighbor told me to wait (aspeta!) and that tony would be back shortly.  In less than 10 minutes, there he was.  Tony took me into the b&b and showed me the room, the communal breakfast room and the kitchen.  Also, how to use the fancy espresso machine for the guests - makes a great cup of coffee!

The reason i hadn't been able to call him was a 1 digit mistake in the phone number he had given me (probably his fault).  But i had never tried the phone number before i reached the train station or i would have caught the mistake (probably my fault).  In the end, it worked out fine.  I got the correct telephone number to contact Tony.

Now the b&b itself its a pretty kewl old house in the old section of campobasso.  Its partially carved out of the hillside, so you can see the rock foundations inside the house.  There's even a "cave" cellar at one end.  The layout is also pretty unusual - its a multilevel/multistory concoction with stairs going to rooms every which way.  There's even a skylight for light.  Very intriguing place to stay.

My room was on the main floor - on the same level (or just a few steps down) from the kitchen area.  Twin beds with a good sized bathroom and a full size shower stall.  The windows in both the room and bathroom opened directly onto the little vicolo/sidewalk outside the house, but there's not enough foot traffic to worry about it.  And in the shower, my thought was, "if someone wants a show, they're welcome to it!" ;)

After showing me my room and the facilities, tony was off - "call me if you need anything".  And thats something i should point out for those of us used to English style b&b's -- tony and his wife don't live at this address.  They will come by to admit new guests, to clean and tidy during the day and to prep the breakfast area in the evening.  So, if you were expecting a live-in host or wanting a lot of hand-holding from your host, this is probably not the place for you.  On the other hand, if you're a tourist and you have already gotten yourself to this little back corner of italy, you probably don't need a lot of hand-holding...  

For myself, it was fine, and for the most part it felt like i had the building to myself (tho' tony told me there were 2-3 other guests at the time).  In practice, the best way to get in touch with tony was via text message - those he responded to immediately.  His phone usually went to voice mail, and he might not answer that right away.

As for campobasso, it was an interesting town and definitely off of the usual tourist beat.  There is the old town, built around a castle on the hill.  Its extremely quaint and picturesque, and a place you could easily spend a day or two exploring if you enjoy the hidden gems of italy.  Whats different about campobasso is that they built a university there in the 1980s, so you have a much larger "new" section of town that is not picturesque or pretty.  I would give that part of town a miss.

I spent most of my full day in the area visiting the tiny village where my grandfather came from and when i left campobasso, i did feel like i could have spent some more time exploring the old part of town.

Breakfast at the b&b is a pretty simple affair.  You have the fancy coffee machine to make espresso.  I added lots of milk and sugar to mine ;)  There are assorted packaged breads, rolls, jams & butter.  In the fridge there was milk and some yogurt drinks and there was always one fancy cake from a bakery for breakfast.  The morning of my departure, it was a fancy spice cake and i helped myself to 2 slices to take on the road ;)

So in conclusion, i would say that the Residenza Sant'Andrea is a great budget option for those of you who are venturing to Campobasso.  Most americans making the trip are probably looking for hometowns or lost relatives, but the old town of campobasso is certainly worth visiting for the average tourist who wants to experience off-the-beaten-track italy.  And the welcome you will receive will suprise you!

Residenza Sant'Andrea

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