Hi Confused, I traveled through Italy for 3 weeks 2 summers ago when I was 18, so hopefully I can give you some decent advice. I don't know what you like to do, but regardless, I would not recommend spending 4 days in Milan. Unless, I suppose, window shopping for designer gear is your thing. I love hiking, so I hiked through Cinque Terre and up in the Dolomites, which are both "reasonably" close to Milan. Florence would also be a good option (my favorite Italian city). The city itself is absolutely breathtaking. There is quite a bit to do, and some great clubs. Do a search on Florence here. I don't know how much your train tickets will cost if you go somewhere else, but I can't imagine they'd be much more than to Milan... As far as day tours go, I would suggest getting a decent guide book and just picking out the sites you want to go to, or following one of the walking tours. You'll meet a lot more interesting people that way. For the most part, the Italians are very friendly, which can be both good and bad. You'll meet a lot of people (like numerous sketchy young policemen), but bring a book with you if you don't want to be bothered much. Hope you have a great time!

topping for confused

$000 hundred dollas should be enough for 4 days in Milano. There is one hostel, Pietro Rotta, it costs 16 euro (approx 16 dollars) for each night, including breakfast, telephon numer is +39 02 39267095, adress: Via Martino Bassi 2 and and you can get there by subway (red line, QT station). Milano is one of the safest cities in Europe, so you should not be worried by safety issues. The usual care when in a big city will be more than enough. As for nightlife, you should get yourself a copy if the free English-language magazine you can find at the tourist information office neat the Duomo. Finally, Milano is not such a bad place for a few days because you can get to many places by train and spending little money, you might, for instance, take a daytrip to Liguria (Cinque Terre are a bit too fa away, but in three hours you may be in Camogli or Portofino) or spend a day in Bologna or Parma, all lovely places. Other daytrips include Como, Vigevano, Mantova, Pavia, Turin, Venice...

I suggest you contact Dario the fodorie at Rasna@dada.it, he will really make you feel at home

take a day and go by bus north to a town called bergamo and see the elevated old section of the city

VENICE, VENICE and VENICE.