What Websites Should I Use to Find an Apartment in Italy?

Shopping for a vacation rental apartment in Italy has never been so easy. The selection ranges from “I know a guy” websites that offer direct contact with property owners, all the way through management companies that offer reliably comfortable properties for the luxury traveler. To make the most of your time spent shopping for Italian short-term rental apartments, you really need to know your priorities.

I am an independent international traveler; comfortable interacting with people who do not speak fluent English and would like to live like the Italians: Homelidays.com.
Homelidays.com is a website that offers renters the ability to shop for various rental accommodations by location, by price range, and many other parameters. The Homelidays website has a distinctly European feel, but the descriptions and terminology they use translates easily into English. You will find that most of the reviews written about the properties on the site are from non-English speaking customers. As far as pricing and availability, this is a really good thing. The mostly European clientele keeps the prices down and keeps standards very European (meaning unique and culturally authentic). The information provided on each rental property is written by the owners, and reservations are made directly with owners through an internet message system on the Homelidays site. Don’t worry during the apartment-finding process if you don’t speak Italian – the Homelidays messaging system translates messages between languages.

However, you will need to be able to communicate once you arrive at your apartment. So, you might want to prepare a list of questions to ask through the Homelidays messaging ahead of time. You could also use a free translation website to generate a list of specific questions (such as: Where is the closest tram stop? Is there a grocery store nearby that is open on Sundays? Where can I find baby formula nearby?). Chances are very good that your apartment landlord will have information in a binder ready for guests with all of this information handy when you arrive. The list of specific questions in Italian will assure that the landlord can point you in the right direction for your particular needs as soon as you get there.

One other tip, when using self-catering apartments in Italy (and probably everywhere else, too): Since you are renting directly from property owners, and not a property management company that employs people who can be available whenever you arrive, you will want to be careful to arrive and depart when the landlord has specified. Make sure that you know what the landlord’s timing is for being available to greet you and show you around. If you know when your flight or your train is expected to arrive, mention that to your potential landlord. Please don’t treat your Italian landlord like the cable company treats you – don’t make her wait between 8:00 am and 8:00 pm for you to arrive with no idea when you expect to be there.


I prefer to rent an apartment that has been reviewed and approved by an American travel expert, who knows what comforts and amenities an American traveler usually expects: InItaly.com
InItaly.com is one of my favorite sources of information about places to stay in Italy. I could devote an entire article to their website, and still not come close to explaining the valuable information you can find there about Italy travel accommodations.
It is a site run by a group of people that are certified travel agents, and they make special arrangements with properties in Italy that they pass along to their guests. Each property that is available on their site has been stayed-in by their staff. That staff then writes a tremendous amount of information about each place so you know exactly what to expect when you arrive.

Renting an apartment through InItaly.com is simple, friendly, and professional. Overall, the cost for a rental will be a bit more than from Homelidays.com because it is like using a travel agent. Of course, if you indulge in the rich tapestry of information they provide before you ever even begin to rent an Italian apartment, you’ll probably be delighted to pay a bit more just for all of the value that they provide.

Take some time to read through the reviews of each property – they can be insightful about the times of year that you are thinking of traveling to each place. InItaly.com also has great pages about what to do and what to see while you’re there. You’ll want to set aside lots of time to peruse their site for all of the features that they have added over the many years that they have provided this service.


I prefer to stay in a luxury apartment that has hotel-like cleaning service, so that I can relax and be better rested during my stay: Halldis.com.
Halldis.com is an apartment rental agency specializing in some major European business centers, including the major cities of Italy. They offer serviced apartments, which have all of the furnishings of a well-appointed apartment, but also the cleaning and linen services of a hotel.

Their selection of apartments is quite broad, and the pictures demonstrate the high standards of decoration and comfort that you can expect from every property. Unlike self-catering apartment rental pricing (renting direct from owners at whatever price they choose), the pricing at a site like Halldis.com is more standardized. They do offer specials, but customers can expect prices to remain in the luxury business travel range.

The service at Halldis is prompt, professional, and very accommodating to guests – both while shopping for an apartment and during the stay. Because they are a company that manages the properties, their availability by phone and e-mail is reliable during business hours. Reservations have clear, fully-disclosed and standardized rules, which can be a comfort to travelers who are uneasy with cultural differences in Italian business transactions. There is also almost no language barrier for travelers that only speak English (or, at least, do not speak Italian).

All three of these sites offer calendars of availability, but reservations must be made via internet messaging forms that are part of the websites. As of yet, apartment reservations cannot be made through these sites just by entering dates and clicking on a room type like booking a hotel room.

Depending on what type of Italian vacation apartment experience you want, and how much you have budgeted to spend for lodging, there are many sites across the spectrum of Italy apartment rental sites that might work for you. These three have worked for me, personally, and I am happy to recommend them for your Italy travels, too.