Take a course and ask the school for home stay accommodation.
In 1996 I took a month long Italian language course in Rome and asked the language school to get me a room with a family where nobody spoke English.
They matched me up with Lucia, a 45 year old high school art teacher, architect and single mother of two kids, aged 8 and 16 in their apartment near the Vatican. My room was small and plain. I used a cramped second bathroom that Lucia and her friendly kids used a bit, but I was open to new experiences and didn’t mind.
At first Lucia was surprised to see a woman her age arrive, not the usual 22 year old home stay student. In our month together, we discovered we had a lot in common, had many long conversations in her kitchen and became friends. For 12 years, I’ve visited Lucia, shared many meals around tables with her friends and taken trips to Naples and her country home in Le Marche with them.
Take a course and stay with a local family in your favorite Italian city! You never know what lovely surprises may come out of the experience!
This tip is provided by supplier M05151
