Hello fellow travelers,
I will rent an apartment in Italy for 2 to 3 months - does anyone have a source for finding a good apartment - any area of Italy is good, have you rented yourself and can recommend a method or agency to try?
Kindly
Mary
Posted by
5 posts
Mary -
You are so lucky - going to Italy for 2 to 3 months! Six weeks is the most we've stayed there - and it isn't long enough! And we always rent apartments - we started out staying in hotels, inns, or even convents! We're planning our 11th trip to Italy - our 16th to Europe. There's a book, "Bed & Blessings of Italy" if you're interested in staying in a convent - city or country. We've stayed in several and they're all great! But for an apartment, I recommend VRBY (vacation rental by owner) vrby.com. We've used this agency all over Europe and have never been disappointed - the apartment is always exactly as described online. And we learned about VRBY from one of Rick Steves guidebooks. We are now planning our 16th trip - using Rick Steves guidebooks for everyone!
Good luck on your trip - go online and look up VRBO - they have apartments for any price range!
Maybe, we'll run into you somewhere!
Jimmie
Posted by
Watertown, MA
118 posts
I think Jimmie meant to type VRBO
Posted by
San Diego
1540 posts
If you use VRBO or HomeAway (same company) be very very careful and talk to them on the phone.
I was scammed badly - booked an apt thru VRBO and got email that dates were open and then got emails from the
owner of property. He answered all my questions and it sounded legit.
I had not used this company before and the owner sent me an email on VRBO titled/letterhead instructing
me step by step how to deposit my payment in full in an escrow account at Barclay's Bank in London.
After sending the money via Fidelity - I was advised by VRBO that it was a scam and the property did not exist.
The security dept. at VRBO did admit to me that they do not "vet" all their properties.
After a frustrating week and many trips to the Fidelity office and phone calls with the security dept at
VRBO I did get my money back - it was a total "good luck moment" because the cash was still with
FOREX being converted to Euros.
So be careful and I would advise talking to VRBO/HomeAway by phone to confirm everything before sending
any $$$$$
I do have many friends who have used VRBO/HomeAway very successfully many times - it was just
my "beginners luck" that bit me.
Posted by
Forest Grove, OR
11333 posts
I use VRBO a lot, but another source that led us to our current 18-month rental is Sabbatical Homes.com. The linnk is to the Itlay page, although they are all over the world.
FYI, one always has to be careful when wiring money. We've never had a bad VRBO experience, but I can see how it could happen. If anything seems "off" about the transaction, walk away. We prefer to pay a small deposit then cash on arrival at the property. That is usually how it works in Italy, anyway.
Roma makes a nice base for seeing Italy as we can get fast trains to all parts of the country. What time of year are you traveling?
Posted by
Knoxville, TN, USA
7209 posts
I can 100% vouch for the authenticity of this wonderful apartment in Rome:
http://www.vrbo.com/305032
They actually have 2 apartments..1 larger and 1 smaller.
Posted by
Ottawa
1446 posts
I'll be renting an apartment for two months in Sicily (Jan-March). It was highly recommended on TripAdvisor and I exchanged several messages with a couple in Maine, who had done a similar rental with the same property manager. By the time that I went ahead and confirmed the rental, I had not only exchanged several e-mails, but had also talked on the phone with the property manager. As is customary for Italy, I paid a small deposit and will be paying in cash for the rest when I arrive.
Posted by
5 posts
Thanks, Holly, I did mean VRBO. Jimmie
Posted by
San Diego, Ca
1 posts
Try Airbnb.com. We used it to rent an apartment in Tuscany.
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Thank you so much everyone for all your help! I have used VRBO and did not think of them for Europe - I find that they have better prices for apartments than Airbnb which has cleaning, useage fees and taxes.
I always talk to the owners (VRBO) before sending money and use a credit card. I'm not sure when I will be traveling I just know I need to do it! And will start researching apartments right now. Appreciate all your advice here! I live on Kauai so if you need help let me know. I teach photography and yoga privately.
Thanks for the tip about paying a small deposit and then paying in cash when you get there. I look forward to finding a place to love for my Italy stay.
It's my favorite country. :)