Fodor's Expert Review La Casa del Monacone

It's not every day you can be a "guest" of a famed 17th-century church, but this distinctive B&B was once part of the giant complex of Santa Maria della Sanità, the main landmark of the Rione Sanità quarter. Before visions of gilded frescoes fill your head, keep in mind that this church was erected by the Franciscans: the hotel's decor would please the spartan taste of their saints, though modern majolica flooring and art photographs of Sanità street life warm the place up a bit. Guest rooms, however, are minimal modern. La Sanità can be a rough district, but this church casts a peaceful halo, and La Casa is genteelly situated at the quarter's far western border on a scooter-strummed byway (double-pane windows cut down on the noise).