agriturismo

You can always ask but generally the agriturismos are not geared in that direction. You would be better off trying to find a furnished apartment to rent. Second, most importantly, how long do you plan for your extended stay?

I want to spend 6-8 weeks, June and July! I am considering trying to get a years retirement visa while I am there so I can return for a full year.

Do you plan to rent a car? That might affect people's suggestions.

I think you will find that visa applications must be submitted to a consulate in your home country, rather than to officials in Italy. However, I am not an expert on that topic.

Thanks for the info! I will definitely check into that. I am also going to look into dual citizenship because my family is from Italy. I heard that is one way to travel without having to get the year visa.

I am not opposed to renting a car, but wanted to primarily travel by train.

Yvonne

I concur with Frank that an agriturismo I will probably not meet the needs that you have outlined. You would do well to get a small apartment instead, so that you can have a kitchen and invite guests to stay with you. Also, you need to keep in mind that most agriturismi are in the countryside and a car is nearly always necessary. You have also received correct advice that your visa application for a long-term stay needs to be initiated at a consulate in your home country. The process is lengthy and takes a lot of paperwork.

The good news is that virtually every farm in Tuscany has apartments and/or rooms for rent. It's a source of secondary income for them.
The bad news is that the region is not well served by trains. A car is really required to explore this region well. For over 3 weeks, you can lease a car that has better terms than "renting" a car.

Thank you for the advice. Is there a specific way to search for these rooms/apartments in Tuscany.

Yes, i know there is a lot of work in getting a year visa. That is why I want to spend a couple of months next summer so I can decide if it is really what i want to do.

Yvonne

In Italy and agriturismo is a farm authorized to have some rooms and/or a restaurant inside. This means that the most of agriturismi are in the countryside not so close to the village or town. Another point is that are not so common villages with a train station. For both reasons stay in an agriturismo and move only with public transport could be a problem, or at least limits too much the choice of the place to stay. A car is probably necessary.
About long term staying is quite normal: several agriturismi do it. Of course the most of foreign tourists stay only for one or few nights, but the original idea of this kind of accommodation was to stay for a longer time. Of course could be mor expensive that rent an apartment, but if the location is nice is even much better.