Photo by Worldwide Scott
Do you think Italy is an expensive country or a cheap country to travel in?
I know we aren't supposed to assume in life, but I am going to do it anyway and surmise that the majority of you reading this landed in the "of course it's expensive!" camp. Well, that's what I used to think too. Then I started going there, and I actually couldn't believe how cheap it was compared to what I thought it was going to be.
I'm not saying you can show up with a hundred big ones and live like a king for a week, but I will stand by this: Italy is cheaper than you think.
And here are a few ways to make it even cheaper.
READ MORE: You Could Always Go to Bologna, Italy
Balance Out The Budget-Busting Big Three
First and foremost, if you're looking to keep costs down, don't get sucked into only doing a hectic Rome-Florence-Venice hustle. This will cause you to blow cash by the boatload, and your trip won't be nearly as relaxing as you'd like. Instead, for each one of the big three you see, balance it out with two other places not in the big three. From the Lakes and Italian Riviera in the north to the mountainous middle and barely touched boot-bottom down south, Italy's twenty regions are stuffed full of great places not in the big three and most of time, a cheaper twin.
The Twin Cities
What's this about twins you ask? Well, lots of places have "twins," and finding them can really pay off. For example, Umbria has much of the romance and winemaking of Tuscany, but fewer tourists and lower prices. Lake Como is crawling with folks looking for George Clooney, but the lake we went to last summer, which was only an hour away, was just as romantic (it even had an island in the middle), but it was relaxed, and we practically paid peanuts for the room.
How do you find these places? Well, Google is your best friend here: find a pretty well-known place on Google Maps, zoom out a couple clicks, find another name, search for that on another tab, and click "images." You'll be amazed at what's out there.
Avoid August
If you think everyone at home seems to go on vacation the first week of August, just wait until you see what happens in Italy. A huge portion of the population uses August for holidays, and as a result, a ton of things will be closed in August - especially in the non-touristy places we talked about above. Most importantly though, in addition to the international crowds that smother Italy, you'll be battling Italians for rooms and reservations too, making August one of the most expensive times of the year to go to Italy. So you should skip it.
VIDEO: Explore Lucca Italy
Get On The Agriturismo Train
Agri-what? Agroturismos are B&Bs with a heavy focus on regional food and wine and/or are actual working wineries, farms, etc. Agriturismos are great, because they give you a front row seat to Italy's famous food and drink, and if you're anything like me, that's half the reason you've visit to Italy in the first place. Agriturismos are generally budget friendly, with the place we stayed at in Piedmont (another Tuscany twin) shockingly cheap considering it had a pool with million dollar views.
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