Why we do it
A word that hasn't stopped being true in three thousand years. The same word for two different people, because in original hospitality there was no difference: the one who welcomes and the one who is welcomed are the same thing, bound by a pact of trust that ancient cultures held sacred. In Greek mythology, breaking that pact was one of the gravest acts a human being could commit.
Somewhere along the way, something broke.
It's nobody's fault in particular. It happened slowly, the way it has with a lot of beautiful things: someone built a system that was more convenient, more reassuring, more visible. And we, guests and hosts alike, handed things over. We handed our trust to a logo. We handed our choice to an algorithm. We handed the human relationship to a platform that takes its cut, a big cut, just to sit in the middle.
The upshot is that today a German tourist who wants to sleep in an Umbrian farmhouse doesn't trust the farmhouse. They trust Booking. And the owner of that farmhouse, to be found by that tourist, pays up to 18% on every night. That cost doesn't vanish: it ends up in the price. The tourist pays it, without ever knowing.
We're not here to start a revolution.
We're here because we're small, like most of the places you'll find on Italish, and we know from the inside how the system works. We know what it costs to stay on the right circuits. We know how hard it is to be found with no budget. We know that many of the most beautiful places in Italy are invisible, because no one ever helped them tell their story beyond the borders of their own region.
Italish is an attempt to cut a middleman out of the picture.
We don't promise lower prices: we promise that when you book here, the price you pay goes to the host, not to a multinational. What the host chooses to do with it (lower the price, improve the services, invest in the place) is up to them. But at least the choice is theirs.
We've built a free portal for independent Italian accommodation. Every page is translated automatically into seven European languages, because a farm stay in Basilicata deserves to be found by a Dutch tourist who doesn't speak a word of Italian. We've written guides to the Italian regions in six languages, because the tourism we want to encourage is the kind that explores, not the kind that repeats itself.
An ethical booking portal.
Italish is a project by Punto Nero Studio.
How we vet the places
We're not a bank and we don't handle payments, but before we publish a place on the portal we run three basic checks:
- The host's identity. We check that the person signing up really exists and can be reached (email, phone, in some cases a video call).
- Registered CIN. Every Italian accommodation must have a Codice Identificativo Nazionale. We ask everyone for it and display it openly on the page.
- A real place at the address. We check that the declared address really corresponds to an accommodation (cross-referencing Google Maps, existing reviews, an online presence).
We don't guarantee the quality of your stay, that's negotiated directly between you and the host. We guarantee that whoever publishes really exists, can be reached, and has the right paperwork to host in Italy.
But if it's free, who funds the portal?
Italish is built and maintained by Punto Nero Studio, a small web agency in Pesaro. The free portal is our main project, but it isn't our only product.
For hosts who want more, we offer extra services. Anyone who chooses one of these services funds the portal: the marketing, the development, the time of the people keeping it going.
It won't make us rich. It will let us do this work, push it forward, and keep the main service free forever.
A custom website for your place
A complete website with hosting included, designed for accommodation. From 50 euro a year.
Build your websiteDirect bookings
Availability calendar, automatic security deposit, sync with the main OTA.
Day-to-day operations
Guest registration forms, regulatory compliance, digital check-in.
For years, having a professional website for your place meant an agency, a few thousand euro, and hoping someone would answer when it stopped working.
The real cost of building these things has changed. The prices you get charged, no. We've chosen not to pad the margin. A complete website, already designed for accommodation, with hosting included: from 50 euro a year. It's not a promotional offer. It's simply what we think is fair to charge.
It's worth being clear about what it is and what it isn't. From 50 euro a year you get a professional shop window: you add your own text and photos, and you get a website any agency would charge you at least 500 euro for. It's built specifically for accommodation, with SEO optimisation baked in, and it puts you in a position to be found on Google. Don't expect managed campaigns, advanced analytics, or bespoke strategies: for that, Punto Nero Studio works on more elaborate solutions, for those who already have a solid base and want to do more. Cheaper than Wix, more specific than WordPress, with less to learn.
We're putting together guides on online marketing for independent accommodation: how to use your website to stay competitive, what you can do on your own, and when it makes sense to ask for help.
If you've got a clear idea of what you want, the product works on its own. Most hosts set it up without talking to anyone. If you have particular needs, you can get in touch with Punto Nero Studio. We prefer to do it by email or chat: not because we're cold, but because our time goes into Italish. It's an honest choice, not an excuse.
Write to us
You have a place, a question, or you simply want to tell us something.
Want to lend us a hand?
Italish runs on our own work and on the people who feel like pitching in. No investors, no OTA, no commissions. If you recognise yourself in what you've just read, here are two simple ways to support us: a symbolic coffee or the marketing fund (with public reporting, month by month).