University of Pisa
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The Residence

Le Benedettine is the University of Pisa guesthouse: a former monastery on Lungarno Sidney Sonnino, restored and turned into 44 rooms with private bathrooms, places to study and a large inner garden.

The garden with pine trees and the cloister arches
Historic photograph of the San Benedetto monastery on the Lungarno
Historic photograph of the San Benedetto monastery on the Lungarno

From monastery to guesthouse

The Benedictine community was founded in the early 12th century near San Piero a Grado and later moved into the city, to San Paolo a Ripa d’Arno. In 1393 it built the new monastery on the south bank of the Arno, in an area then occupied by brick kilns.

Over the centuries the complex was enlarged and altered. In 1850 the architect Domenico Santini designed the riverside façade, with its three dark-red aedicules and flamboyant Gothic windows. Hit by the bombing of 31 August 1943, the monastery was left by the nuns in 1969.

After its restoration, the building houses the University of Pisa guesthouse. The Le Benedettine Conference Centre is next door.

The spaces

  • The reception on the ground floor

    Reception

    On the ground floor, next to the entrance: your point of reference for arrival, information and requests during your stay.

  • Study room with tables, a sofa and windows onto the river

    Study room

    On the first floor, above the reception: tables, sofas and windows onto Lungarno Sidney Sonnino.

  • Lounge with tables and orange chairs

    Lounge

    Three air-conditioned rooms on the ground floor, looking onto the garden, with vending machines and a microwave.

  • The inner garden with the loggia of the old cloister

    Garden

    A large inner garden with lawn, pine trees and the loggia of the old cloister.

  • Second-floor corridor with a round rose window

    The rose windows

    On the second floor the corridors keep the monastery’s rose windows, which open towards the Arno.

  • Terrace overlooking the garden

    Laundry and terrace

    Coin-operated laundry on the ground floor, near the reception. The terrace overlooks the garden.

Included in your stay

  • Private bathroom with hairdryer
  • eduroam and UniPi Wi-Fi
  • Wired connection in the room
  • 32" TV, usable as a monitor
  • Air conditioning and heating
  • Key card access
  • Bed linen and towels
  • Toiletries
  • Cleaning 3 times a week
Rooms Check availability
  • The inner garden with the loggia of the old cloister
  • The reception on the ground floor
  • Study room with tables, a sofa and windows onto the river
  • Study room with a wooden-beamed ceiling
  • Lounge with tables and orange chairs
  • Tables under the gazebo in the garden
  • Second-floor corridor with a round rose window
  • The Arno seen through a rose window on the second floor
  • Loggia with arched windows and a wooden ceiling
  • The cloister loggia at sunset
  • Terrace overlooking the garden
  • The Arno and the riverside palazzi seen from the Residence
  • The inner façades on the cloister, with the loggia
  • Study room seen from the door, with a wooden ceiling
  • Lounge with vending machines and tables
  • Arched windows looking onto the garden
  • The Arno and the riverside palazzi seen from a window
  • The garden pine trees at sunset