My husband, two teenagers and I are planning a year-long trip to Italy from summer 2009 to summer 2010. Hubby and I are going to be in Italy for two weeks in early September to scout out a place to live. I've planned a very rough itinerary that is very fluid. We will rent a car and drive to wherever I have arranged to meet an agent to show us properties.

If anyone knows of a trusted agent in any of the follwing areas, preferably in the smaller towns in between, please let me know. This won't be a relaxing vacation or for sight-seeing (though I'm sure we won't be able to resist). I see it more as a fact-finding mission.

I planned this route using distance and time estimates from Google maps. I know in the U.S. the level of accuracy when we travel, but welcome the experience of anyone who has used Google in Italy to help me figure out how accurate they are. This route (which is, again, very fluid) is 708 km and an estimated drive time from city center to city center of 9 hr 41 min. We will have 12 actual, useful days on the ground.

Aeroporto Leonardo da Vinci > Spoleto > Assisi > Norcia > Teramo > Chieti (or maybe L'Aquila) > Pratola Peligna > Aeroporto

What We Want
We would like to live in a small town or village and prefer the mountains to the coast. We would like an historic property even though we know heating costs could be through the roof. It is a one-time trip to create memories with the kids, so we want quaint. We need four bedrooms since we have a teenage boy and girl and expect very frequent guests. I will home school the kids for the year, so English schools aren't necessary. We want to be immersed in the culture, so an English speaking population isn't necessary (we are working on our Italian).

I've arranged to see a property just outside of Spoleto and in Pratola Peligna, so we can change our plan to anywhere in between those two places. I know the area is quite varied, but I hope that I will see a village or a home and just know it's the right spot. We included Umbria because we really enjoy the towns there and Abruzzo because the prices are lower (though everything I see online is very charming).

If anyone has any suggestions (places to see, people to talk to, how to structure our visit), I really welcome them. I am a little worried that we are going a little too early to secure a lease, but at least I hope to gauge where we want to live and make some good contacts.

Also, we are generally very comfortable traveling off the cuff, without reservations or a firm plan, stopping wherever we see an interesting place. Is the main travel season over by early September? Do we need to consider reservations?

Thanks! This is the fun part. Figuring out the visa/bureaucracy is very intimidating.

I would like to make a suggestion for looking for long term rentals, consider looking for individual(s) who will be taking a sabbatical leave. Here are a couple links:

• Global Home Exchange -- Long Term Home Exchange /Sabbatical House Swaps
• SabbaticalHomes.com

When driving in Italy, travel times can be difficult to calculate depending on time of day, country versus city, weekend versus weekday, weather conditions, etc. It is not like driving in the States. You will encounter more 2 lane roads than 4 lane ones.

I have not used Google maps that much but I do use Via Michelin. I have 3 blog entries that may be of interest to you:

• Info on Distance Calculators (How Far Is It?) for Italy
• Info on On-Line Route Planning and Maps of Italy
• Info about Driving in Italy

Two last comments:

• Be sure to have an unlocked, GSM cell phone with you to call agents and listings and for people to call you while you are traveling around. You can pick up a rechargeable SIM card from TIM, Vodafone, 3 or Wind for around €10 and have an Italian cell phone number -- incoming calls are free.
• Walk the neighborhoods in the towns you are interested in living it and look for notices for rentals, ask other Expats and people that you meet if they know of any rentals. My wife and I found our multi-year rental on this web site.

That's it for now and wishing you a successful good house hunting trip. Ciao, Ben

Thanks, Ben!

I took a look at the house exchange websites and didn't see available for us right now. I will definitely list our house on those sites and keep my eye out for opportunities that might show up there over the next few months. They look like a great resource and, if we can arrange a swap, that will make things much easier.

I also appreciate your insight about distances in Italy. We've driven a lot in other areas of Europe. I will use the calculators to adjust my plan. Some of the commentary on the rules of driving in Italy is hilarious and consistent with comments friends have made after driving in Italy.

I will have to do some research (or pawn it off on hubby) about our cell phones and use in Italy. That is something we likely wouldn't have thought about until the last minute.

Walking through the areas that pique our interest is a great idea and especially keeping our ears alert for English speakers who might make recommendations. I appreciate your insight.

Thanks again!

I just joined this forum, so I didn't reply before early September. Did you find a place? If not check out www.cascina47.com. We own the house and would be interested to let the house for a year. ontact details are on the site.