sewitall

My daughter and I will be in Italy for three weeks in June. We are on a budget and really wanted to keep our costs under 100 euros per night for a hotel or apartment in Tuscany. I am a teacher and I won a grant to go to Italy this summer but the exchange is making it difficult to stretch the grant money.Is there a town that would be less expensive? Is this a hopeless quest? What sites would you recommend to start a search. Our apartment in Rome is 98 euros per night.

Amanda23

What about staying in Florence and day tripping to places in Tuscany? I like Il Bargellino and Hotel Cestelli in Florence and both are 100 Euros a night or less.

sarge56

sewitall,

try this website for Sleep In Italy:

http://www.sleepinitaly.com/

I looked at some lovely options, including a couple in Cortona. Additionally, if you're willing to rent for 3 weeks, I'm betting you can contact the agent and get a much better rate than posted. (Even though the posted prices are within your budget.)

Keep searching THIS (Fodors) site for cheap accommodations in Italy. Do searches on "hotel" and the area you'd like to stay in (Tuscany is a big area).

Good luck!

sarge56

sewitall- ps. When you get some referrals or hotel names, check them out on Tripadvisor.com.

Lawchick

You can always find a room in a convent in Italy for less than that.

ciaodeb

Hi sewitall-- My daughter who studied Italian won a scholarship to go to Italy for 2 weeks, one in Florence and one in town just outside Venice. Learning Italian in morning and fun activities in afternoons, is agenda. She won through IACE, Italian American Committee on Education, I teach Italian, in my district, PT and also and have a big IACE program, where I am coordinator, teaching children ages 4-18 plus adults. Just wondering if you won same grant from IACE????

We are traveling in Italy have the same budget as you. Re: Tuscany, I found something with a pool for kids. Out of all the places we are staying this is only one with pool so it is over budget at E. 140.

VILLA VERONICA
S.P.102, n.3 - Loc.Colombaio
53019 - SIENA (ITALIA)
tel.+39057752054 fax.+39057752054
www.villaveronica.it
[email protected]

They are just east of Monteriggioni and slighly into Chianti region.

I do not recall the rate but this farmhouse with pool was my favorite but was not available for us four in August:

Agriturismo Poggiacolle
- Strada di Montauto - 53037
- San Gimignano (SI)
- Tel. 0577 941537 338 5940118
- Email: [email protected]
- Web: http://www.bed-and-breakfast-in-ital...p;IDRegione=16

I agree with above sarge56 about contacting agent and get a better price for the three week stay.

• Venere.com
• Expedia.com
• Orbitz.com
• Booking.com

http://www.bed-and-breakfast-in-italy.com/

http://www.florenceby.com/

http://www.holiday-rentals.co.uk

http://www.italysquare.com
initaly.it

All the cityby.com are good, as you see Florencyby.com. Try Tuscanyby.com.

Viaggi felici!

Andrew

I found this place a great value in Florence:

http://www.bedinflorence.it/home.htm

The same owners manage both places; I stayed Bed & Bed Cassia last October. The location isn't really so convenient to things you'll want to see, but once you learn the bus system (I did quickly) you can get around from here very well - it's also walkable just a long walk.

sewitall

I am starting in Rome and have an apartment there for 10 days so I wouldn't be able to spend the entire three weeks in one location.. My grant proposal involved the study of the Cosmati floors that many quilt patterns are based on and they are predominantly in the Rome area. The last time I was in Italy, I spent three days in Florence and never went anywhere else. This time I hoped to see other towns and more of the area. My tentative but subject to change, plan is to leave Rome and take the train toward Florence, maybe stopping in Orvieto and spending a night. I want to find a place to be based for 6-7 days taking day trips. Then over to Venice for 2 nights and take the overnight train back to Rome to catch my flight home. I would love to hear more suggestions.

sewitall

Thank you for the suggestions. I am searching the forums and will get out my guidebooks. I think I will find that anywhere in Tuscany will be a wonderful experience.

SusanP

I stayed at Albergo Rutiliano in Pienza, and it was a great hotel. Just a couple of blocks outside the town walls, just a few minutes to walk in. Their double rooms are 100E. Will you have a car? They have parking. Pienza is well located for daytrips. And if you need to use the bus, the bus stop is just across the street at an angle from the hotel. The price includes a really nice buffet breakfast as well. Nice big room and decent size bathroom.

lovisa

Without a car, I think it's much easier to tour Umbria by public transportation than Tuscany. You might want to consider a stay in Perugia, a wonderful city. From there you can easily get to Spoleto, Spello, and Assisi.

I don't think 2 nights in Venice is worth it - it will take at least half of the first day to get there. If you have your heart set on Venice, give it a little more time, and go there straight from Rome. Then stop other place(s) working your way back toward Rome.

Do you have any interest in the mosaics in Ravenna? Do they have any bearing on Cosmati floors? You could stop there on your way back from Venice.

easytraveler

I would agree with lawchick's suggestion of a convent.

Once ran across a book recommending stays in convents and thought it would be a fascinating thing to do - never done it, but would love to try it!

wondering

Check out Ira's trip report. He has a place in Florence...

russwuf

yes check out tourist house ghiberti...great staff ...excellent location...and if you are not in season..you should be able to score a room under 100euro.. they do extend a further discount for payment in cash ...and may be even a further discount for multiple night stays beyond a certain number of nights.

travelgirl2

We've stayed at this agriturismo in Castellina in Chianti several times. It is a working farm, spread out over many (100's?) acres, with a couple of old stone buildings spread out over the property with an apartment or two apartments in each building. There is a pool for every couple of apartments. The views over the fields are simply lovely. The decor is simple and rustic, in a lovely Italian way. Very comfortable lodgings.

It is: Tenuta di Lilliano. Their website is: www.lilliano.com . From there, you can click into a particular apartment and then check prices and availability of the individual units online. This puts you onto the Interhome web site.

The smaller units are fairly inexpensive. The one unit I checked for you is 2 bedrooms and costs 850 euros for a week in early/mid June. There are several apartments to choose from. Maybe there is an even cheaper option there.

I think you'd have to have a car to stay there. That might push your costs too high, unless you've budgeted for that already. You can really save money by having the kitchen. It's nice to eat out for lunch and then cook dinner back at the apartment, if you're trying to save money.

Have fun!


Good luck planning your trip.

travelgirl2

If you click on "availability of all apartments", they all come up and you can choose a 1 bedroom for 2 people. The price for early/mid June seems to be 499 euros! Can't beat that! There may be a miscellaneous cleaning fee or something attached to that too, I seem to remember.

One thing - I'm not sure if the pictures they show are of that particular apartment, or just given as examples of the apartments they have. The pictures are very realistic - we've never been surprised by the quality of the accommodation as it's been very similar to that shown in the pictures.

travelgirl2

Here is the page that shows several apartments at once:

http://web.interhome.com/Search/SearchResult.aspx

ira

Hi S,

Another vote for www.bedinflorence.it.

We very much enjoyed out stay there for 11 nights.

The Peterson is less than 10 min walk from the SMN train station.

There is a bus stop just in front of the B&B and a very nice cafe next door.

GSteed

I wonder what budget travellers think of the phrase, 'doomed to sleeping in a hostel'? The style of travelling depends on economics. Europeans have worked it out so that they never pay for a bed. They exchange housing. Have you tried exchanging housing with an Italian teacher in your specialty?

eigasuki

I second the recommendation for B&B Peterson. I stayed there a couple of years back (actually on Ira's recommendation!)and found it very suitable for someone on a budget. It's a hike to most places but you're on a budget, right? At least you're in Florence. I took day trips by Sita bus to Sienna, San Gimignano, Pisa and Lucca and walked everywhere else.

There's a convenience store and a laundromat just around the corner.