Ex pat realtor/rental agent in/near Florence

Nicole,

Try contacting the school by telephone.

As for finding a home near the school -- I assume you are aware that they have two facilities.

The one for kids in the middle and high schools is a few minutes walk from the Piazzale Michelangelo, which is on the hillside south of the river, just above the lovely old San Niccolo area at the eastern end of the historic center of Florence. The facility for younger children is in Bagno a Ripoli, which is a sprawling area part suburb part countryside about 20 minutes from the center of Florence -- depending on traffic.

Two of the big problems with the real estate business in Florence that I have run into are:

1) Agencies specialise on relatively small areas, so expecting one to tell you that you'd be better off in some neighborhood other than the one they specialize in is problematic;
2) There is no multiple listing service.

There are national websites that list properties for rent or for sale. You can do a search, for example, for Bagno a Ripoli, but you will have to wade through a bunch of websites which have some of the same properties listed, but not necessarily all.

And it really makes sense to try start the process before you get there -- but don't be surprised if agents haven't done a whole lot of preparation before you get there.

Finally, August is really a lousy time of year to try to get any business done in Florence -- or just about anywhere else in Western Europe.