"Different" is good. Puglia region is on the maybe list for next trip! The coastal architecture looks like a must see. Are there specific towns that you really enjoy?
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Apartment in Italy (2-3 months)?
- Thread starter Aurora
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Alpinista
100+ Posts
We used Lecce as a base and covered the boot. In hindsight, we'd have been better with a second base. However, the towns that stood out were Matera (for obvious reasons), Locorotondo (felt like being in Greece with the whitewashed houses and narrow streets -- also good local wine), and the Trulli towns (which felt a little touristy, but the architecture was still worth seeing).
Tina
100+ Posts
'Pro loco' and 'Azienda di Soggiorno' are both tourist information offices. What each does varies according to location. The Pro Loco is often run by volunteers, but not always and they organize events and sometimes do Tourist info stuff like handing out maps. 'Azienda di Soggiorno' are similar but as the name suggests deal more specifically with accommodation. They usually have lists of approved regional accommodation for example.
I should also have asked When you are thinking of staying two or three months.
Puglia is my favourite place in mainland Italy but it's a nightmare in July and August because it's a favourite beach destination for hordes of Italians too.
Food is fantastic, not just restaurants but local produce and products in the markets. Loads of places to discover. The whole of the east coast is easy to explore by train, everywhere between Barletta and Lecce. Inland areas are more complicated but doable. We've been spending three or four weeks there every autumn since 2019 and keep going back.
Here's something about one of my favourite places: Trani, and some "hidden gems"
slowtravelitalyspain.blogspot.com
slowtravelitalyspain.blogspot.com
But Sicily could be a good place for two or three months too.
Anyway, I think I'd be inclined to choose two or three bases, not just one. A month in a place is enough to get the feel of it and explore nearby places with public transport.
I should also have asked When you are thinking of staying two or three months.
Puglia is my favourite place in mainland Italy but it's a nightmare in July and August because it's a favourite beach destination for hordes of Italians too.
Food is fantastic, not just restaurants but local produce and products in the markets. Loads of places to discover. The whole of the east coast is easy to explore by train, everywhere between Barletta and Lecce. Inland areas are more complicated but doable. We've been spending three or four weeks there every autumn since 2019 and keep going back.
Here's something about one of my favourite places: Trani, and some "hidden gems"
Why I love Trani
A blog about travel, vacations and holidays in Italy and Spain with advice, tips and trip reports
slowtravelitalyspain.blogspot.com
Hidden Gems of Puglia
A blog about travel, vacations and holidays in Italy and Spain with advice, tips and trip reports
slowtravelitalyspain.blogspot.com
But Sicily could be a good place for two or three months too.
Anyway, I think I'd be inclined to choose two or three bases, not just one. A month in a place is enough to get the feel of it and explore nearby places with public transport.
I just took a glimpse into your blog, my wife and I will read cover to cover soon! We would travel shoulder seasons, so probably March-May or September-November.'Pro loco' and 'Azienda di Soggiorno' are both tourist information offices. What each does varies according to location. The Pro Loco is often run by volunteers, but not always and they organize events and sometimes do Tourist info stuff like handing out maps. 'Azienda di Soggiorno' are similar but as the name suggests deal more specifically with accommodation. They usually have lists of approved regional accommodation for example.
I should also have asked When you are thinking of staying two or three months.
Puglia is my favourite place in mainland Italy but it's a nightmare in July and August because it's a favourite beach destination for hordes of Italians too.
Food is fantastic, not just restaurants but local produce and products in the markets. Loads of places to discover. The whole of the east coast is easy to explore by train, everywhere between Barletta and Lecce. Inland areas are more complicated but doable. We've been spending three or four weeks there every autumn since 2019 and keep going back.
Here's something about one of my favourite places: Trani, and some "hidden gems"
Why I love Trani
A blog about travel, vacations and holidays in Italy and Spain with advice, tips and trip reportsHidden Gems of Puglia
A blog about travel, vacations and holidays in Italy and Spain with advice, tips and trip reports
But Sicily could be a good place for two or three months too.
Anyway, I think I'd be inclined to choose two or three bases, not just one. A month in a place is enough to get the feel of it and explore nearby places with public transport.
Preliminary thoughts, we would consider staying south first. Hopefully this Fall we'll spend some time there to get a taste for the regions. Puglia feels like a great southern hub and seems relatively convenient to visit the many must see towns in the south.
We are not big city people, but we are not against their suburbs as a hub. I think I've mentioned this before, but I wasn't a fan of Florence on our first stay, but I've grown to love it there. We would probably then move to central and wrap it up in the north. A country roughly the size of California sure is spread out with so many differing options!
Thank you for the links to your blog!
coleyfagiole
10+ Posts
Hi there,
I fell in love with Italian language (and am in love with it's culture for a long time) - so I decided to really take some time for getting to know Italy and also improve my Italian language skills.
My trip will start in May, I'll be solo travelling and I'm 33 years old.
Two decisions are to be made and I would hiiighly appreciate your opinion or advice on this:
1) Which city?
Cities I considered so far:
(a) Rome: expensive, too international for learning Italian?, very big and loud, a lot to do and see
(b) Florence: beautiful, also expensive, very touristy, is it still authentic?
(c) Bologna: student city (too many young people not my age?)
2) Where to stay?
...and if I decide for a city, how can I find an apartment? I already checked websites, but cannot find any hints if these apartments would be available for a short time as well. In Germany we have special words for renting apartments short-time, but I couldn't find sth like that in the offered ads.
Anyone has experiences with that?
Thanks for reading
Any idea or advice is very welcome!
Aurora
coleyfagiole
10+ Posts
I would think Bologna is a good option, especially bc of good train connections.
Otherwise, Lucca or maybe Perugia? Still pretty touristic, but not too tiny.
Have you tried sabattical homes?
Otherwise, Lucca or maybe Perugia? Still pretty touristic, but not too tiny.
Have you tried sabattical homes?
Galgano
100+ Posts
Hi there,
I fell in love with Italian language (and am in love with it's culture for a long time) - so I decided to really take some time for getting to know Italy and also improve my Italian language skills.
My trip will start in May, I'll be solo travelling and I'm 33 years old.
Two decisions are to be made and I would hiiighly appreciate your opinion or advice on this:
1) Which city?
Cities I considered so far:
(a) Rome: expensive, too international for learning Italian?, very big and loud, a lot to do and see
(b) Florence: beautiful, also expensive, very touristy, is it still authentic?
(c) Bologna: student city (too many young people not my age?)
2) Where to stay?
...and if I decide for a city, how can I find an apartment? I already checked websites, but cannot find any hints if these apartments would be available for a short time as well. In Germany we have special words for renting apartments short-time, but I couldn't find sth like that in the offered ads.
Anyone has experiences with that?
Thanks for reading
Any idea or advice is very welcome!
Aurora
Aurora
New Member
Thank you very much for all the support here! That's very kind 
Thank you Alpinista for even posting this old flyer. I decided to go to Prato to be closer to Florence, otherwise I would have considered them definitely.
To share my experiences:
On some platforms 2 months in advance might be okay, but many of them were booked already. The platforms I used were:
- AirBnB
- facebook groups for housing in Florence (not a single useful contact)
- https://www.student.com/ (I don't know if it's available for other than students)
- https://www.studentsville.it/it/ (same as above)
- https://www.immobiliare.it/
- https://housinganywhere.com/it/
- https://www.uniaffitti.it/it/
I found an apartment via AirBnB. Around 20-30% of AirBnB hosts were okay with hosting someone for a longer period and had still free capacity, but only about 10% offered a good deal (less than 1000€/month). So it's possible, but it takes some time to contact all of them.
I was very lucky and got offered an apartment for 500€ per month
Hope these experiences will help someone!
Thank you Alpinista for even posting this old flyer. I decided to go to Prato to be closer to Florence, otherwise I would have considered them definitely.
To share my experiences:
On some platforms 2 months in advance might be okay, but many of them were booked already. The platforms I used were:
- AirBnB
- facebook groups for housing in Florence (not a single useful contact)
- https://www.student.com/ (I don't know if it's available for other than students)
- https://www.studentsville.it/it/ (same as above)
- https://www.immobiliare.it/
- https://housinganywhere.com/it/
- https://www.uniaffitti.it/it/
I found an apartment via AirBnB. Around 20-30% of AirBnB hosts were okay with hosting someone for a longer period and had still free capacity, but only about 10% offered a good deal (less than 1000€/month). So it's possible, but it takes some time to contact all of them.
I was very lucky and got offered an apartment for 500€ per month
Hope these experiences will help someone!
Congrats on finding the apartment, I'll bet you were very busy researching and coordinating this!Thank you very much for all the support here! That's very kind
Thank you Alpinista for even posting this old flyer. I decided to go to Prato to be closer to Florence, otherwise I would have considered them definitely.
To share my experiences:
On some platforms 2 months in advance might be okay, but many of them were booked already. The platforms I used were:
- AirBnB
- facebook groups for housing in Florence (not a single useful contact)
- https://www.student.com/ (I don't know if it's available for other than students)
- https://www.studentsville.it/it/ (same as above)
- https://www.immobiliare.it/
- https://housinganywhere.com/it/
- https://www.uniaffitti.it/it/
I found an apartment via AirBnB. Around 20-30% of AirBnB hosts were okay with hosting someone for a longer period and had still free capacity, but only about 10% offered a good deal (less than 1000€/month). So it's possible, but it takes some time to contact all of them.
I was very lucky and got offered an apartment for 500€ per month
Hope these experiences will help someone!
Mary Hanson
10+ Posts
If you are serious about learning Italian my advice is enroll in the Universita per stranieri in Siena. They actually can accredit your levels A1, A2, B1 etc. It's a real college not a tourist front. Reasonable tuition (last year 500 a month) and they can hook you up with an Italian family who will rent you a room.Hi there,
I fell in love with Italian language (and am in love with it's culture for a long time) - so I decided to really take some time for getting to know Italy and also improve my Italian language skills.
My trip will start in May, I'll be solo travelling and I'm 33 years old.
Two decisions are to be made and I would hiiighly appreciate your opinion or advice on this:
1) Which city?
Cities I considered so far:
(a) Rome: expensive, too international for learning Italian?, very big and loud, a lot to do and see
(b) Florence: beautiful, also expensive, very touristy, is it still authentic?
(c) Bologna: student city (too many young people not my age?)
2) Where to stay?
...and if I decide for a city, how can I find an apartment? I already checked websites, but cannot find any hints if these apartments would be available for a short time as well. In Germany we have special words for renting apartments short-time, but I couldn't find sth like that in the offered ads.
Anyone has experiences with that?
Thanks for reading
Any idea or advice is very welcome!
Aurora
Siena is lovely and short train rides to Bologna and Firenze. You can weekend in Rome (2 hour fast train) Milan or Venice. Flights from Milan to London run 35€ on Ryan, Vueling.
The problems with your other city choices are the majority of people you interact with speak English and prefer speaking it.
Bologna was great. There are students there, but they are Italian, unlike the horde of tourists in cities like Florence. Florence is beautiful and has great things, but you hear almost as much English in public as Italian. Rome opts one of the world’s great cities, and is a must.Hi there,
I fell in love with Italian language (and am in love with it's culture for a long time) - so I decided to really take some time for getting to know Italy and also improve my Italian language skills.
My trip will start in May, I'll be solo travelling and I'm 33 years old.
Two decisions are to be made and I would hiiighly appreciate your opinion or advice on this:
1) Which city?
Cities I considered so far:
(a) Rome: expensive, too international for learning Italian?, very big and loud, a lot to do and see
(b) Florence: beautiful, also expensive, very touristy, is it still authentic?
(c) Bologna: student city (too many young people not my age?)
2) Where to stay?
...and if I decide for a city, how can I find an apartment? I already checked websites, but cannot find any hints if these apartments would be available for a short time as well. In Germany we have special words for renting apartments short-time, but I couldn't find sth like that in the offered ads.
Anyone has experiences with that?
Thanks for reading
Any idea or advice is very welcome!
Aurora
If you want to experience less touristy cities think Naples, which is fantastic with lots to do or if you are going north Turino or Trieste.
I would not go to a lot of places because for each change of cities, you lose the better part of a day. Also, every city has surrounding towns that are great day trips. Just one example, from Naples you can get to Pompei and the lesser known Caserta, which has one of the great palaces and gardens, with very few tourists
Also from Bologna, there are easy side trips to Parma, Ravena, and Ferrara
One final word. Eat, drink, and have fun.