3 week itinerary

Christina, I'll address transportation rather than an itinerary. First, look at trenitalia.com, you may be able to find some super-economy fares but you will have no flexibility in changing your ticket to another train, time, or day. The next fare level is economy, which gives some flexibility until a certain time span to make changes (usually for a small fee). The most flexibile is the base rate, which is full fare but allows changes until the day of travel (some changes may involve a fee, I don' remember). All is explained on the website. Also consult the seat61 website, and roninrome.com. Pistoia is great! I was there last June (high season) and it wasn't a crush of tourists. Lucca is a charming city as well. By the way, check out booking.com for hotels, B&Bs and hostels - you may find your budget can get you into a hotel which will include breakfast for the same price as a B&B. Another option is monastery or convent stays (usually have a curfew of 11pm or midnight). Monasterystays.com or santasusanna.org might be helpful. If you love nature, the lake district in the north of Italy is beautiful, but so is the Amalfi Coast. Southern coast of Sicily has great beaches near Agrigento and a big nature preserve near Palermo. Or go to Puglia, which has many small towns along the coast near Bari. Generally speaking, the south of Italy (including Sicily) is less expensive than the north, although transportation tends to be slower. Try flying into Milano and out of Rome, there may be a small difference in price compared to Rome-Rome, but it will save you time and money in backtracking.

Your options are endless. I think you need to decide how much "touristy" stuff you want to do versus immersing yourself in the Italian countryside and way of life. You can get from Sicily to Switzerland in a month, but you will be on the rails a lot (unless you fly) and you will lose a half day at least going from point A to point B. Sometimes it is best to base yourself in a place like Florence and do several day trips from there. If you really want to hit the hostels, you may need to book now. Your travel dates are closer than you think. If you like nature, you will want to hit the Cinque Terre and the lakes. Personally, I wouldn't miss the main sights in Rome (Colosseum, Forum, Vatican) or Florence (Duomo, Accademia, Ufizi) but these all cost money and you may not be interested that much in antiquities and art. One thing you could do is to wander around Rome, Florence and Venice and walk into churches for your art fix. Most are free and there is excellent art in situ. I would suggest that you look at the Rick Steves Italy guidebook and the suggested 3 week itinerary here: http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/destinations/italy/italy22.htm You can modify this to suit your needs/budget. From Lake Como/Varenna, you can side trip into Switzerland. Lugano is only a short ferry / bus ride from Varenna. From Castelrotto, you can venture over the Alps into Austria. Again, I suggest more research to narrow down your options and then go with it. One tip: Don't try to see/do everything. You will wear yourself out and spend more money than you need to. Plan to make a return trip! Good luck!

Christina, If you decide to go to Rome, I would recommend The Beehive as a great hostel. Very safe, clean, and in a great location near the train station. If you choose to stay in Florence, a good hostel there is Hostel Archi Rossi. We had a great private room in the Annex there at a reasonable price. They also have the more traditional dorms available.

" - I want to experience Italy and not be stuck in endless crowds. Yes I know I am going during the busy season, but I was wondering if you could suggest some towns that are not so "touristy". I want to experience Italy's food, culture, and people, and I do not want to be taking tourist tours or fall into tourists traps" This sounds like my favorite non touristy small city in Tuscany- give Pistoia a try - on the main rail line from Florence heading toward Pisa,Lucca & the CT region. Have a great trip!