<p>My grandaughter is going to be in Rome for 2 weeks as part of a Junior year summer program. I would like to find a family or individual for a homestay (near central tourist area if possible). I do not want a company that lists homestays as they are quite expensive and she is a student. Appreciate any advice and suggestions. Bob Perkel
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Home Stay Rome
Message Submitted by Robert Perkel on Mon, 05/09/2011 - 12:31
I am surprised the Junior year "summer program" does not have a list of places to stay. They are taking young people and it would seem they had a duty to provide some sort of housing arrangements for them.
However, if she is not on a formal summer program but doing this on her own then I can see your dilemna. Try VFRBO or even venere.com who has some B&B type choices in family homes that might work.
Do you have a church or other civic, social, professional or alumni organization that has branches or members in Rome that might make some connections for you?
Ask at the school as they may have a list of “approved” homestays for students. In the best case scenario, they’ve inspected the homes and have had numerous successful placements there.
Another alternative might be accommodations with a religious group -- don’t laugh -- these are safe, economical, well-supervised places to stay. You might want to look for one that accepts only women.
www.goodnightandgodbless.com
this is the site for a guidebook to convent and monastery stays in Europe and is probably available at your public library. You could photocopy the pages on Rome. Some sample entries are at:
http://www.goodnightandgodbless.com/accommodation.html
including a few on Rome
The church of Santa Susanna in Rome keeps a listing of convents that take in paying guests:
http://www.santasusanna.org/comingToRome/convents.html
Wherever she stays, she should be able to take organized tours to familiarize herself with the city and to keep busy before classes begin.