Untold Italy · Friday, September 11, 2026
Katie Clark and Corinna Cook share practical advice for booking accommodation in Italy. They explain the common practice of a nightly 'tourist tax,' often payable in cash, and highlight that Italian beds are typically firmer than those in the United States, often featuring two separate mattresses on a double bed frame. They also touch upon the variability of air conditioning effectiveness and the importance of turning it off when leaving.
“In Italy, you're going to pay tourist tax per person per night that you're staying there in most cases. I think if you have more than a week in one place, then it gets reduced or something like that.”
“And that is normally paid in cash as well. Like some, I've had plenty of hotels, you know, have said that the tourist tax is paid in cash. I do a lot of, I call all vacation rentals Airbnbs, but they typically require the tourist tax to be paid in cash.”
“Italian beds typically are a lot firmer than what we have here in the United States anyway. Here in the United States, we tend to have a box spring and then a mattress that's a bit softer. Whereas there, they'll have a bed frame. They have wooden slats across the bottom. And Italians like a firm bed.”
“The cost of electricity over there is exorbitant. And there's not a huge amount of electricity. So it's really important that when you are leaving your apartment, you turn it off. And turn it back on when you get back in.”