Hotels Are Full. Where Else Can I Stay During the Olympics?

This Bed and Breakfast in Parma (sorry, don't have a pic of one in Turin) consisted of a single studio apartment and came with satellite TV, my own front door key, a full kitchen, even a washing machine in the bathroom. It cost me just $41 a night.

Here are your main options. Click on any to read much more about how each works and to get lists of resources, agencies, and booking engines to help you find and reserve them (which you ca see by just clicking on the big brown "OUTSIDE LINKS" button in the bottom right of every page).

Agriturism - Spend the night on a working farm. Not only cheaper than hotels, but offering a great insight into Italy's agrarian culture and the chance to get to know a local farming family—not to mention often stupendous breakfasts (think: homemade jams, fresh sheep cheeses, and milk straight from the proverbial cow). More...

Apartment Rentals - Your very own pad in Piemonte. You get your own key, a kitchen, and the chance to live like a local for a week or two. Best of all: there are still plenty of apartments available in downtown Turin (from $130) and in the mountain resorts (from $200). More...

Bed and Breakfast - The B&B is actually an official Italian lodging category now. It operates like a teensy hotel occupying either the family's home or, say, another floor of their apartment building. In Piemonte, by law, a Bed & Breakfast can contain a maximum of three rooms (or six beds), and, as the name implies, breakfast is included. More...

Hostels - Like a flashback to your college years: a bed in a shared dorm (though these days most rooms have only 3-8 beds each, not the nightmarish gyms stuffed with 50+ cots that defined the youth hostels of yesteryear) for less than $20 per person. Be careful about late-night curfews and midday lockout periods that many hostels still impose, though. More...

Rental Rooms (affittacamere) - One of the cheapest—and most rewarding—options: the chance to stay in the spare bedroom of an Italian home. Not only does the price start around $60 for two, but you'll actually be staying with a host family, getting an insight into local life you would never receive in a standard hotel. More...

Vagabond Networks - It might sound strange, but you can even crash on the couch or in the spare bedroom of a perfect stranger by using the online vagabond networks that work sort of like hip, young, Web versions of the old hospitality networks—but without a fee to join. More...

Villa Rental - Set up (temporary) housekeeping in Italy by renting a villa, cottage, mountain home, or Alpine shack. This is a great option for larger groups and long-term stays. More...

Still More Options - Castles, campgrounds, cottages, and convents...there are plenty more options where those seven prime candidates came from. If you have trouble finding a bed through any of those means—or just have a hankering for something completely different—check out the rest of this Web site's Beyond Hotels section. More...