Althouse: A 55 square foot apartment. £43,000.

October 5, 2010

A 55 square foot apartment. £43,000.

"In Rome, people now live like rats."

Ah! But it's the Piazza di Sant' Ignazio. Look! You'll be such a lucky rat.

12 comments:

The Dude said...: Nice neighborhood, but I would either like a bit more space or a bit lower price. I know, picky picky...

WV: infenbu - the lost chapter of Dante's classic wherein he lived in a tiny closet.; 10/5/10, 7:33 PM
traditionalguy said...: Supply and demand is not working here. Wait until the Government stops forbidding new development. But the owner of this walk in closet seems to have friends in government.; 10/5/10, 7:36 PM
bagoh20 said...: For the same money you could buy a 2 bedroom home with a big yard and garage just a few blocks from a Florida beach. And a bonus: The Italians there speak perfect English.; 10/5/10, 8:09 PM
chickelit said...: Un gabinetto!; 10/5/10, 8:22 PM
David said...: Living like rats is nothing new for Rome. There was quite a bit of that going around from 1942-45. But then the problem was lack of food, not inadequately cheap housing for the upwardly mobile.

Rome, Paris, London. The centers of these great ancient cities are now playgrounds for the very affluent. Parts of New York are close to that status, but large parts of most American cities are still affordable for average people. (I blame the immigrants for our failure to keep up with the egalitarian European model of completely excluding the middle class from these places.); 10/5/10, 8:38 PM
Eric said...: I like how you managed to describe the size in American units and the price in British units for an apartment in Rome.; 10/5/10, 8:46 PM
Alex said...: So basically this flat is only good for having a bed, maybe a nightstand with a phone on it. You def use the communal toilet and shower. But if you get to live in Roma, it's all worth it!; 10/5/10, 10:01 PM
Automatic_Wing said...: Living in a 55 sq ft apartment would really cut your carbon footprint down to size. Look for Al Gore snap this sustainable little eco-bachelor pad right up.; 10/5/10, 10:20 PM
CrankyProfessor said...: Believe me - that's an outlier.

I'm teaching in Rome again this spring and the rent I've been quoted for a roomy 1 bedroom apartment is 1850 euro a month, inclusive. That's $2565.

Admittedly it's not in the Piazza di Sant' Ignazio (here's MY best photo of the view looking up), but next door to the Chiesa Nuova. Not too shabby.

Rome prices are actually more like Chicago than Manhattan.; 10/6/10, 5:42 AM
Tibore said...: "Ah! But it's the Piazza di Sant' Ignazio. Look! You'll be such a lucky rat."

I'm sorry, but that's both too expensive and FAR too small period, regardless of the location. I'd rather rent something miles away and walk to the view than pay that much for that little space to live there.

I don't think a rat's dumb enough to go for that deal. But suckers, though...; 10/6/10, 7:21 AM
Clyde said...: P.T. Barnum, call your office!; 10/6/10, 7:25 AM
ndspinelli said...: When one goes to Italy it becomes clear what most Italian-Americans already know. You see quite clearly how Italians once ruled the world. And, you see just as well how they pissed it all away.; 10/6/10, 10:41 AM