We are thinking of going to itlay in May, probably to Rome/Florence/Venice. Thought about staying in B&B's, is that a good idea? has anyone ever stayed in those locations? <BR>Also, what areas should we try to stay around or avoid? We do not know the city and have yet to still by a good book on it.

Good evening, Jen <BR>Check into the deals for Rome/Florence/ <BR>Venice that are being offered by <BR>Alitalia, you have a good choice of <BR>hotels, airfare and transfers are <BR>included. Richard of Hickory Hills, Il..

I looked into Alitalia thinking I could get a better price with a vacation package. Actually, I have done better on my own by e-mailing the individual hotels. I also found great airfare on my own. Perhaps it depends on when you are traveling.

Try this URL for Rome B&B's. They worked well for me. <BR> <BR>http://www.b-b.rm.it/frame.htm

If you are looking for good, clean hotels in convenient areas, you can look at the Italian equivalent of B&Bs - pensiones. We stayed in one near the train station in Florence in late March Giarda Hotel directly off the San Lorenzo market 90,000 lira double. <BR> <BR>Check with 'initaly.com' and go to the Italian links. There you can plug in what you're looking for and it will search the data base. <BR> <BR>Good luck!

Hi Jen <BR>You can do a Search on this forum for your three cities and find a lot of past recommendations for low-cost places to stay in each city. It's already a little late to book the most popular places. <BR>If you want any sightseeing notes or general tips, please feel free to email me. I still recommend your buying a good guidebook. <BR>good luck

I think Rick Steve's (sp?) book on Italy (in any bookstore) is very good. I brought a lot of books on my last trip and ended up following it pretty closely. For example, I took his suggestions for hotels (he has a wide range of prices) and suggestions such as a side trip to Sienna while in Florence. If I can go again I would try to do more day trips away from the big cities as he often suggests. I thought his advice was excellent.