Vacation rentals in Italy, whether it’s an apartment in the center of Rome, a villa in Tuscany, a beautiful apartment in historic Florence or a palace overlooking a canal in Venice, are very attractive and romantic. The photos are beautiful; you can imagine yourself sipping Chianti Classico as the sun sets behind the Tuscan hills. But vacation rentals aren’t for everyone. Our experience with sending vacationers to Italy over several years has resulted in this set of questions that you can use to help determine if you would enjoy a vacation rental in Italy.
Are you staying less than five nights?
Most holiday apartments in Italy require a one week stay, some will accept less. Usually, you need to stock your kitchen and buy essentials like toilet paper. If you’re only spending a few nights in one place, stay in a hotel and spend your time enjoying your destination rather than shopping for supplies. Short stays can make sense if you’re renting at multiple locations because you’ll be able to carry your supplies from one to another.
Do you like to experience the local lifestyle?
You can gain new perspectives on everyday Italian life because you’ll shop where they shop, experience the same sights, and walk the same streets. If you find it interesting to experience Italian culture while learning to make your own phone calls and picking out your own fresh bread from the bakery, then a holiday apartment or villa in Italy may be for you.
Are you traveling with children?
When you travel with children, your pace must adapt to theirs. If the children are not happy, nobody is happy! They need their meals on their own clocks, not those of restaurants. With a vacation rental in Italy, they can eat breakfast in their pajamas, and in the evening, they don’t have to wait for restaurants to open around 7:30 pm for dinner. You can prepare meals for them according to their tastes; a leisurely plate of “pasta al burro” (pasta with butter) and a glass of milk might be just what you need.
In an apartment or villa, the kids can nap in one room and you can be in another, without tiptoeing around a cramped hotel room. Young children, in my experience, never change time zones, so they can be up at odd hours. When you are in an apartment or villa, you can close the bedroom door and take care of them in the living room without waking up the whole family.
If you choose a vacation rental with an outdoor area, the kids can have fun in the garden instead of in a hotel lobby. Even a small vacation rental can give you several spaces for people to hang out; kids can color at one table, while parents spread out guidebooks and maps on another, which is usually not possible in a hotel room.
When two or more families travel together, one group of adults can go sightseeing, shopping, or enjoying a nice meal while the children stay “at home” with the other adults, totally happy and able to play, swim, eat and nap. instead of going crazy in a hotel room. Or, bring a babysitter with you and find a vacation rental that will accommodate your entire crew.
Are you independent?
Your vacation rental owner or manager may not be around to help you. Once you have been guided through your apartment, you will be alone, except in emergencies, to apply your instructions for operating the washing machine, heating, or telephone. There is also no front desk or concierge to help with reservations or directions.
Are you witty?
Will you enjoy shopping for food and supplies at the local markets? Things may be packaged differently and you may need to figure out the labels. You may not find well-known brands. If you need something at the pharmacy, will you be able to communicate the food in sign language? The controls for the TV and the coffee maker will be unfamiliar, will you be able to experiment with them without getting frustrated? If you don’t mind dealing with unknown processes and locations; If you can adapt when you can’t find exactly what you have in mind, then you will do just fine in an Italy vacation rental.
Could you do it better?
Italy is an especially challenging country for “Type A” hard-driving personalities. Old bureaucracies rule the country with inefficiencies glaring at every turn. Italian drivers can be maddening. And there’s no such thing as a line or queue at all; it’s all push and shove. For transactions at places like post offices, you may need to stand on a mob only to be directed to the end of another mob. You could probably put the motto on a system to do a lot of things more efficiently, but it doesn’t work for trying to reorganize Italy! If you can deal with the glaring inefficiencies with humor and grace, perhaps even with the help of a small glass of wine, then you’ll do just fine in an Italian holiday apartment or villa.
Do you want to cook?
A real advantage of a vacation rental is the ability to prepare your own meals. You can eat when you want and what you want. There’s nothing like having a coffee on the terrace of your Tuscany villa as the sun rises over the vineyards! And if you have dietary restrictions, you can really take advantage of your own kitchen.
You can also save money. Eating every meal in restaurants can get expensive and time consuming. Shopping for and preparing beautiful food fresh from the countryside can be a joyous experience and a highlight of the day.
But, someone has to cook! A typical vacation rental may have all the cooking essentials, but not the labor-saving appliances you’re used to. No food processor, no mixer, no electric can opener, so preparing more complex meals can take longer than you’re used to. Sometimes it’s fun to experiment with how Grandma used to do it, but beating egg whites by hand can be more than your arm can handle. So consider if this is how your cook wants to spend his time.
There are strategies to reduce the effort, of course. You’ll find ready-made entrees in freezers and on the counters of the larger grocery stores, and Italy has a wonderful type of restaurant, the tavola calda (hot table) that has take-out meals, and the rosticceria that will sell you a roast chicken or another well prepared piece of meat to take home. The classic meal of pasta, a veal chop, and a salad doesn’t require much effort, so it can be important to keep it simple. When we’ve rented places with a larger group, we’ve taken a student-chef with us to prepare meals and do the dishes (did I mention dishwashers aren’t common), giving everyone a break. Some rental properties have a cook who will come to you to prepare a delicious meal while you relax.
Do you need a daily housekeeper?
Most vacation rentals change sheets and towels weekly. Some offer a washing machine, but rarely a dryer so you can wash your own clothes and bedding. If you require a daily towel change and cleaning services, you should ensure these are available (for an additional fee) in your rental or consider a hotel.
Do you have time to prepare?
Some additional travel preparation may be required for a vacation rental. For example, there is no reception where you can leave a wake up call, so you need to bring a portable alarm clock. There is no taxi queue out front, so you may need to think ahead to arrange for transportation to the airport.
It is important to note that you should also allow time for advance reading. For example, you should carefully read the instructions on how to meet the owner, where to go, when to call.
In summary, if you need the services of a hotel at all times to help you relate to Italy, to know where to go and how to get there, a hotel may be the best for you. If you are interested in experiencing Italian culture up close, want to slow down and experience a new way of daily life, or are traveling with children, an Italy vacation rental will be a wonderful experience. Are you on a budget, have special dietary needs, or love to cook? The kitchen is a true blessing. Whatever you decide, enjoy your vacation in Italy!