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apartment with Buddhist ornaments and wall-hangings, and a mellow 1970s
atmosphere. There are three en suite bedrooms, a kitchen, lounge-cum-dining
room, and a small terrace. While such accommodations are a good value, there
were problems: My room was never serviced, my bathroom hadn't been properly
cleaned, and I had to search around the apartment to find a towel. Breakfast was
very much a help-yourself affair, and not very good. Koko Nor's rates vary accord-
ing to facilities and proximity to the city; Tibetan House costs
€
70 for a double.
Hotels near the Center
€€
If you'd rather be in a hotel, you'll be glad to know that you can enjoy excel-
lent value at
Hotel al Fagiano
(Via Locatelli, 45;
%
049-8750073; www.
alfagiano.it),
which is also extremely cheerful. It's operated by the charming
Amato Faggian, whose family has been in this 40-year-old hotel for 15 years, and
has transformed it into something special. Guest rooms are lovely and spacious,
neatly laid out, with very decent beds; upstairs rooms have timber beam ceilings
and views of either the back garden or Sant'Antonio square (these rooms are par-
ticularly lovely in summer). What really makes this a standout choice, is the
immense care that Amato's wife, Rosella, has taken in decorating the entire hotel
(including the elevator) with her bright, contemporary collages and other art-
works that may not look anything like Giotto's frescoes, but certainly echo the
artistic heritage of the city. Expect to pay
5
€
77 for a double room,
€
55 for a sin-
gle; breakfast is charged separately, and there's a
€
10 parking fee.
€€
10 cheaper,
is
Hotel Mignon
(Via Belludi, 22;
%
049-661722),
which is on the road between
Prato della Valle and Piazza del Santo. Guest rooms are smaller than those at
Hotel al Fagiano, whose charm, flair, and professionalism Hotel Mignon can't
match. Nevertheless, if you're simply looking for a decent hotel bed near the cen-
ter, you could do worse.
Not nearly in the same league as Hotel al Fagiano, but a good
€
€€€€
If you don't mind splurging, and want to be right in the heart of Padua's
Ghetto, consider staying at the
Majestic Toscanelli
(Via dell'Arco, 2;
%
049-
663244; www.toscanelli.com).
While there are ongoing renovations at the
Majestic, it wears its dated, formal elegance with pride, clinging to its busy wall-
paper and pink-green pastel trim. It's a small hotel, and many of the rooms also
suffer from small bathrooms with even tinier showers. Nevertheless, the faux-
antique furniture, loudly blowing air-conditioning, and views onto the streets of
the Ghetto all add up to the closest thing you'll find to a hotel with historic ambi-
ence in this historic city. Double rooms go for
5
172 most times of the year, but
last-minute specials via its website can drop the price to as little as
€
135 for a
double (less for singles).
The Hostel Option
€
A great money-saver—if you're carrying a Hostelling International card
(available on-site for
€
3)—is Padua's co-ed hostel,
Ostello Città di Padova
(Via
Aleardi, 30;
%
049-8752219; www.ctgveneto.it/ostello).
From Piazza Cavour it's
a 1km (
2
⁄
3
-mile) hike, or twice that distance from the train station (to get there on
foot from Piazzale Stazione, head due south along Corso Popolo, straight through
€
