Renting apartment in Italy
 

My daughter and I would like to rent a place in Italy for a month as a base of operations to explore. Can anyone suggest a good location and/or service to steer us to a reputable rental?

Take a look at these sites:
http://www.slowtrav.com (lots of apartment rental sites and lots of reviews)
http://www.slowtalk.com (the associated forum where you can post your questions)

I suggest you use 3 locations as your bases for exploring. Are you planning to have a car?

We just got back from Florence, rented an apt for 2 weeks there, found it easy to take trains to Pisa and Venice, and though we didn't choose to, Rome.
www.sleepinginflorence.com
is where we found our apt, and it was great. Squeaky clean, great location and amenities.

I can second icthecat's recommendation for www.sleepinginflorence.com. We rented the Lepri apartment there and were very satisfied with the service, price, location and ammenties. Gianna has several to choose from at that location.

Try venere.com as well.