Airbnb

Accommodation in Italy is easy to find with either Airbnb or booking.com. Airbnb require payment upfront, and there are extra charges for cleaning. Cancellation rules vary between property owners, and some are very strict. Booking.com offer payment up front or on arrival and also excellent cancellation options – from nothing to pay if cancelled up to a set number of days before the planned arrival, to some charges if cancelled later. Both sites appear to be contactable if there was a problem on arrival or during a stay.

We only needed to find accommodation in Venice (4 nights), Florence (19 nights) and Rome (3 nights, plus 1 night). Between those last nights in Rome, we need to work in a tour of the south, which will require a bit of juggling so that we will not be ‘homeless’ for a night. I checked dates for this tour, but left booking it until another day.

Originally we planned on staying one night in Rome when we arrive in Italy, but because we arrive at Fiumicino early in the afternoon, we decided to take the train to Venice. It will get us there late at night but worth it for the extra day in Venice itself. I used Airbnb for the Florence and Rome stays, and booking.com for the Venice and last night in Rome stays. Our 4 nights in Venice and our last night in Rome will be paid for when we arrive; our long stays in Florence and Rome were paid up-front.

Researching the cities we will be staying in, in Italy, I see that most major cities now have a ‘city tax’, based on the number of nights (up to a maximum of 7 nights) per person in each city. Each city tax is different and I’ve now factored this into our budget. Only one more step for our stay in Italy; our tour of the south. More about that another time.