8 to 12 weeks in Rome - a crazy idea??

No, it is not crazy at all. Our family has lived in Rome in the past for longer than that. We lived in Florence too and hope you'll visit there as well. Your plan makes good sense. The medical labs and convenient transportation options make it even better. Hey, 70 isn't old. My father-in-law is 86, in a band, and they travel the world. Age is an attitude. My husband just turned 60 and I am 56. We plan to travel solo until we die.
Here are some sites to browse specifically long term apartment rentals in Rome:
(1) www.cribrentalsrome.info/short-and-long-term-rentals-in-rome-italy/
(2) www.accomodationsrome.com/en/Rome_long_term_rentals.html
(3) www.halldis.com/criteria/rome-apartments-for-rent-long-term/18
(4) www.go2rome.com/longtermrentapartmentsinrome

You can also check VRBO and Homeaway.com, they have some longer term rentals (by the month).

And, no, it's not crazy. If I could afford it I would do it too. I'm approaching 70 (this year) and I don't think age per se has anything to do with it - more the physical ability and/or limitations.

The longest I was able to stay in one place was a month in Paris, the best time I ever had on vacation and wished I could have done two months.

Not crazy at all!

I will just mention, as others are bound to do as well, you need to be careful of the 90-day Schengen rule. You are limited to 90 days, not three months, within the Schengen zone (which includes most of Europe). Exceed that without a visa and you are in trouble.

I've done this kind of extra-slow travel and it has its rewards and its downside. On the one hand, there is a lot in Italy you can see using Rome as your base, and it's nice if you can get a cheap long term rental and not feel bad about nights you aren't there, and in a hotel in Sorrento or Naples or wherever else you might like to go. My wife and I are in our thirties, and did a similar kind of adventure as yours in Germany with Berlin as our base, and it was hugely memorable.

The downside is that if you haven't seen a lot of the country, you may feel confined being in one spot, but that doesn't sound like your case.

A long stay in Rome sounds great but if your goal is to see more of Europe I would pick a few bases for apartment rentals. If money were no object than why not but once you mention cost and budget the idea for paying for a place you are not sleeping in sounds inefficient.

Hopefully Laurel will spot this thread as she will be able to provide excellent comments from the perspective of someone who has lived in Rome for awhile.

As mentioned previously be sure not to exceed the 90-day limit or you'll likely be facing some "unexpected holiday expenses" in the form of hefty fines.

Depending on your budget, using two or three "home bases" may be a more cost effective solution as you're planning to travel around Europe. For example, spend half the time in Rome and the other half in Paris as that would allow a short taste of "life as a local" in two locations. Paris would also be closer to visit your friends in Brussels and France, and therefore transportation would be quicker.

Wow! Thanks to all of you for the very supportive comments and great references for apartment shopping! We've rented with VRBO & HomeAway a lot (in the US) but had not heard of the others - thank you! As for the 90-day limit, I was not aware of it - thanks!!

And yes, we'll definitely return to Florence. I posted a suggestion awhile ago to recommend my favorite B&B there.

I retired from my job of 25 years last September and 2 days later we left for six weeks in Europe, which included a full month in an apartment in Venice. (Six weeks is as long as we can stand being away from our grandchildren).

It was absolutely wonderful---even better than we hoped. We are currently planning a month in London next year and will spend a week in Rome to check it out for a future stay there.

We definitely would have felt three months in one would have been too long---I would look at two 6-week stays in different places, or three 1-month stays.

In addition to understanding and complying with the Schengen rules, you should look carefully into medical insurance. Medicare will not cover you outside the USA, so you need other insurance. Maybe you have a Medigap policy that would cover your expenses in Europe. Or there is travel insurance which includes medical coverage. We go that route, although coverage for persons over 70 ( my husband) and for periods greater than 30 days can get quite expensive.

Also, there are strict requirements for coverage for pre-existing conditions, such as your husband's kidney condition. Make sure you understand and fully comply with those requirements so you are covered.

I love the idea of spending 89 days in Roma, but I also would prefer two or three bases - perhaps Roma, Firenze and the Amalfi Coast. You could easily get to a hospital or lab in any of these areas when you need to (Nspoli or Salerno would be closest to the Amalfi Coast).

Venezia is only four hours from Roma, about two from Firenze.

I agree with Zoe, 2-3 bases. This allows you to explore in depth those areas farther
from Rome and not worry about spending more for lodging.

Anther thing you need to consider, other than insurance, is for your husbands Dr.
to give you contacts for Docs in those cities you visit. Translations for the lab work to be
done would also be helpful.

I think it would be a wonderful trip.

Gerri, Zoe & Lola - great information!!! I really appreciate your thoughts about finding a second (or more) home base - maybe we'll re-think that. Also the tips about the medical stuff were extremely helpful grazie!!!

Regarding Medigap coverage --- we have plan F and my understanding is that we are covered for emergency medical expenses but not for routine items so you may want to budget for out-of-pocket lab costs.

Jealous of your plans!!

Agree with Gerri, Zoe & Lola about using two or three cities as bases. In a sense it will be like two or three different trips. Have sent you a PM about some medical info.

Despite Ken's call-out, I am not sure I have a lot to add. I can say that after three years her and traveling as much as our jobs will allow, we are not nearly done with Rome, Italy, nor Europe. We are staying two more years in retirement (starting in MAY!) to use Rome as a base for continuing to travel. We will have a base camp here where we park our cats :-) and as you observe, it is a great location for getting elsewhere. Yes, you may pay "double" to have your base here and take some trips (definitely train to Venezia), but convenience is a huge factor. AS others have said, maybe two or three bases is even better.

Take a look at Sabbatical Homes for more rental properties in many locations. It is how we found our digs in Rome! And don;t give up traveling solo just because you are in your 70s. We are 62 and 71 and have no plans to quit!

Laurel - really appreciate the Sabbatical link and also your very upbeat travel insights - regardless of age!! I hope we can keep doing the same 'til they ride me through the crematorium!!!

Not crazy! Fantastic!
When we go to Europe we stay in one spot for anywhere from 3 - 9 weeks. It's great to get to know the culture, find all those wonderful little corners that exist in every town and city, and just enjoy being somewhere different for a while, taking a breath from everyday life.
Do it!
One way to spend a lot of time in a place is home exchange - that's how we do it! Costs nothing and, as long as you're OK with other people staying in your home, it saves tons on cash that you can use to travel, eat out, and see the sights!
We use HomeExchange.com to find exchange partners. We do this almost every summer!
Just another idea for you to consider among all the other great suggestions you have received!

RE: medical. Several years ago in Rome I was ill for almost a week. Had to call in the Hosp dr. (who was a cardio-man and expensive.) When we got home we had trouble, waited for months to be reinbursed. They needed everything translated so they could determine what they would pay.

Might be good to inquire of your insurance co. about that.

Also, I am 85 an going for 3 weeks to Italy this fall. It does get a little challenging because sometimes (for me) the bods just doesn't cooperate like it used to. But we are gonna have a great time!

We have done 2 mos in a place several times, Florence and Paris. Rome wouldn't be my choice but I really like staying in one place for a stretch of time. I think it is a great idea and with health issues, even nicer than going from hotel to hotel.

As others have noted I think, you can only be in Schengen countries a total of 90 days not 3 mos. (be sure they stamp your passport when you enter at Rome; they have unusually lazy immigration people and lots of people have ended up having problems on leaving becasue they can't prove when they entered. I could prove it with other evidence but it held us up an hour at exit and the guy pulled over for the same reason missed the plane)

I doubt a medigap policy will cover more than 60 days of emergency care abroad. I could not find a policy that did. With a serious medical condition getting medical coverage will be difficult or pricey -- without medical issues it cost us several hundred to cover my husband for an extended trip.

I've never done it, but why not? Sounds good to me, and you are right - Rome has good flights basically everywhere.

However, I might do one month somewhere more northern (maybe Belgium or France, since you have friends there, or Netherlands are close) and use some of that time to explore that region. Then down to Rome for another month. If you end up with closer to 3 months, you could also pick an "eastern" base (Prague?), or just spend more time in Rome.