Most apartments have clothes washers, but not clothes dryers. Clothes are dried either on a metal contraption that folds away, or a line that hangs out the window so everyone can see your drawers. Don't be embarrassed. You can see theirs, too, and nobody pays the slightest attention. Very few places have dish washers.
Real estate is no bargain in most of in Europe, and Italy is no exception.
The countryside in many parts of Italy is beautiful, and better prices are available there and in small towns and villages. If you like the rural life, this might be for you. This is at the current exchange rate of L1800 per dollar. You must keep your housing costs down and walk past the expensive shops. We do not think that the introduction of the Euro will change this very much, but that will depend on the exchange rates. .