Is this a trusted site to book on. Hate to book it, pay for it and we don't have anything when we get there (so many scams out there)

There's some nice places on this site.

Yes Airbnb is a very well regulated site - I have booked accommodation for 2 holidays through them. Never had a problem. Airbnb is worldwide and everybody I know book through them.

I was also scared at first, but I booked a week in a Paris apartment and it was fantastic.

You tend to get much nicer places on Airbnb compared to some tatty or old fashiond hotels.

Hope you find something nice!

While Air BnB does facilitate links to many relaible retners you ned to understand that they are only middlemen - they are NOT renting you the property. As with any other service there are some landlords that are deceptive (not accurate about location or amenities, etc) and a few that are outright scams.

If you search on any travel site you will find quite a few that did not work out.

So as with booking any other non-professional lodging you MUST do your due diligence - understand the specifics of the property you are being offered, understand what amenities are included (many do NOT have AC, some have stairs versus elevators), and do check reviews/references to make sure there are a number of positive reviews and check carefully for things that might bother you (noise for instance if you are very light sleepers).

As with all of these services, caveat emptor.

Airbnb has been highly publicized in its sudden rise to become one of the world's top bookers of accommodation. While it does not run the facilities being rented, it has certain protections for the consumer, particularly regarding money. Read its site carefully to understand the business. Also highly publicized are its disputes with some municipalities, particularly over neighbor complaints and payment of taxes. Put Google to work to understand the situation.

We used Airbnb to rent apartments in Milan, Rome, and Florence last year. We made sure to read reviews carefully and only booked places that had a moderate or flexible cancellation policy.

All in all, we liked each place we stayed at. If you're interested, my trip report has links to each apartment.
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...y-may-2015.cfm

Lee Ann

I've used several sites for Italy, for Rome, Milan, Como I used www.sleepinitaly.com and also Booking.com, www.villatorent.it