My friend and I are traveling to Italy for the first time at the end of June. We will be there for 2 weeks and plan on visiting Rome, Venice, and Florence. We are on a fairly tight budget and I was wondering if any of you could suggest low cost and convenient lodging. It is much appreciated!

Hi Katie,

I can higly recommend the B&B Peterson in Florence.

www.bedinflorence.it.

I give further information in my trip report:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34451044

I haven't been yet, but when I do go, I am thinking of these budget places which have good recommendations:

Beehive (Rome) - but probably booked already in your case. In that case, the Yellow Hostel is well-recommended.
Foresteria Valdese (Venice) -
http://www.diaconiavaldese.org:8080/...ia/index_e.htm
Instituto Gould (Florence)

If you haven't you might read or post over on www.lonelyplanet.com at their bulletin board called The Thorn Tree, Western European branch. There are lots of experiences low-budget travelers there.

For Venice, I would recommend Hotel Caneva (http://www.hotelcaneva.com/eng/albergo.html). It's located in Castello district just a couple minutes walk from the Rialto Bridge and no more than 5 mins. from St. Marks Square. It's a 1 star hotel, so it's very basic. Our room overlooked the small canal where a lot of gondolas passed by everyday. We paid 90 euro/night for a double with private bathroom, but I believe you might be able to get a cheaper rate if you're willing to share bathrooms. The only drawback to this hotel is the walls are SUPER thin. We can hear our neighbors' conversations very easily.

As for Rome, we stayed at an apt. just one block from the Trevi Fountain. We paid 110 euro/night (a lot cheaper than hotels in that area). We liked it and would recommend it to anyone looking for a cheaper place to stay in Rome.

Katie, Sometimes it helps if you post a $ amount you want to spend for the room. The term "tight budget" might mean $20 for a bed in a dorm room at a hostel, or to other people might mean $100 for a mid-range hotel room.