Are you looking for a comfortable and economical solution to sleep in Milan? Try the Piero Rotta Youth Hostel - about 10 minutes from Piazzale Lotto.
Imagine the situation. Arrival in Milan to stay 4 nights. I have not booked to sleep, convinced that "I would have found the place anyway".
I start calling the hostels I know but they can't host me for all nights. At Madama (Madama Hostel Milan: sleeping in a hostel) I find a place for the last two nights.
The first night I host Gogol'Ostello (Gogol'Ostello in Milan, review), the second remains an unknown.
The search continues keeping the option aside Piero Rotta Youth Hostel, because judging by photos and online reviews it wasn't exactly the best.
If on the one hand I noticed the very low price, only 20 € per nighton the other I read about dirty bathrooms with cold water and old and inadequate rooms.
In the end I decide to “take a risk” for Piero Rotta, a hostel belonging to the Youth Hostel chain, despite the many negative reviews or that underlined the many defects of the structure.
One aspect, that of reviews, to which I give a lot of weight. But never as in this experience have I understood that you have to try it yourself to form an opinion.
Piero Rotta Hostel: the location is convenient
About 10 minutes from the hostel there is Lotto square, With the Lotto FieraMilanoCity station, intersection of the red M1 and lilac M5 lines of the Milanese underground network. Very convenient for reaching the center or the Central and Garibaldi stations.
The area where the Piero Rotta is located is very quiet, away from houses, mostly surrounded by villas.
The hostel itself has a courtyard that surrounds it and a space with outdoor tables, where you can smoke a cigarette or, if the day permits, chat with other guests.
Piero Rotta: a hostel born as a hostel
The structure is evident that you have its years and that it was born as a hostel: entrance with the reception, the common room with sofas and the corridors of the two "wings" are proof of this.
At first impression it might seem like a barracks, for the common bathrooms with the sinks in series, or for the lockers arranged in the corridor, outside the rooms. But in the end for my one night stay it wasn't too bad.
Given themembership in the network of Youth Hostels, the average age of customers is low, when I was there I think it was around 20 years old.
The rooms of the Piero Rotta Hostel
The Piero Rotta has private rooms with 2, 3 and 4 beds with en-suite bathroom and shared rooms with 6 beds and shared bathroom on the floor, not very comfortable because in the morning you could create a queue at the sinks or in any case carry all the change for a shower is not the best of convenience.
Mine was one of those 6 beds, with the classic bunk beds you would expect in a hostel, with sheets to be collected at reception.
Not having frequented the kitchen area, located in the basement, I cannot say anything about it.
My experience and my personal opinion
The shampoo dispenser is very useful, soap and more on the ground floor near the common room, especially for those traveling by plane.
A very important flaw is the presence of asingle power socket in the room, placed next to the light switch, at the entrance to the room.
In the corridors and common areas, such as the bathrooms, there were signs that read something like "sorry for the inconvenience, we are working to improve the hostel".
Although there were no works in progress at the moment, the signs bode well for a modernization of the structure.
If that were the case, the Piero Rotta Hostel would rank as one of the best for the quality / price ratio. With a cost of € 20 per night, in Milan, in a quiet and peaceful area, it would be difficult to find better.
