Art Hotel Al Fagiano

We were here for the start of the Rick Steves Village Italy tour and it was not a very good first impression of the tour. The room faced a dumpster and an exhaust fan for the restaurant next door so there was a constant smell of garbage and cooked food that permeated our room and clothes. The bed was uncomfortably hard, the lamp shades had holes burnt in them from the bulbs being too close to the shades and worst of all, the family that runs the hotel was unfriendly and rude. Breakfast was nothing special and it took forever just to get a cup of coffee.

Oh, so yes. Everything about this hotel made our stay in Padua just that bit better. Great location, easy to find from the station, major sites within easy walking distance and the most helpful, charming front desk staff. The rooms are comfortable and well appointed and creatively decorated. You just know you're staying somewhere unique.

The hotel location was easy to reach off the tram. Staff was friendly and professional. Hotel was clean and we felt safe coming and going. Breakfast was very good, lots of choices, fresh products, and good pastries. Bed was comfortable. Shower was small, but water pressure was good and hot water was plentiful. As is typical in Europe, you cannot adjust temp in the room - local authorities control when hotels can turn on AC or Heat - so if you go in the cusp season, you might not be able to change anything. But, for us, we opened the windows at night and the temp was comfortable for sleeping. US visitors should be prepared for the difference between US hotel and Italy hotels...recoginze the niceties you get and appreciate the value of the hotel rather than expecting a cookie cutter room like a US chain. The owner of this hotel is an artist and her decor reflects that. We found it very interesting!