'Travel can be one of the most rewarding forms of introspection,' recounts British author Lawrence Durrell in his 1950s autobiographical work, 'Bitter Lemons,' written while living next door to a ruined 13th-century monastery in Cyprus.

After settling in Sommières, France, a few years later, he also advised travelers to capture the essence of a place 'with the eyes of the spirit wide open,' through unhurried observation. The idle contemplation of golden dusty stones, or sitting still under the delicious 'green tent of coolness' of a plane tree will get you started, the late author said.

But chances are that some destinations, imbued with a kind of innate loveliness, are more likely to titillate your inner spiritual receptivity than others. Here's a look at four small exclusive hotels and spas that are all meticulously restored ancient convents and monasteries where you won't have to rough it in a monk's cell. Scattered across the sun-drenched, whispering landscapes of southern Italy and France, these sacredlandmark sites are now peaceful havens for guiltlessindulgence in well-being, culinary pleasures and other earthly delights.

Glimpsed from a boat in the Bay of Salerno off the Amalfi coast, the newly opened boutique hotel and spa Monastero Santa Rosa (www.monasterosantarosa.com) is an impressive sight. Thirteen years ago, American Bianca Sharma, a widow whose husband, Ken, co-founded i2 technologies, was out on a friend's yacht near Conca dei Marini, a tiny township between Amalfi and Positano, when something caught her eye. Gazing at a white-stone, L-shaped 17th-century convent, perched dramatically on the edge of a 300-meter cliff, Ms. Sharma announced with a sigh that she would do anything to own it. 'You're in luck,' her friend said. 'It's for sale.'

Now, more than a decade later, the ruined convent's restoration has been quite a journey, says Ms. Sharma, but she teamed up with local architect Franco di Martino to try and preserve every detail of the rigid geometry of this three-story historic monument. Today, the spectacular tiered gardens