italy on $50 a day?

What cities are you planning on staying in? For Rome, I would try cross-pollinate.com. The web site lets you put in how much you are willing to spend and then the choices pop up. We used it for 2 couples looking for an apartment and paid about 31 euros a night (That was about $42. per person at that time.) Our apartment was one metro stop south of the Colloseum, and the have many choices in the Termini area.

Rick Steves has stated his opinion that Europe will cost a couple not staying in dorms or hostels about $185/day not including airfare. He thinks students or rock-bottom budget travelers" can do it for a minimum of about $100/day (for a couple, that's $50/day/person)--but in his opinion the $100/day requires staying in a hostel dorm bed or a bed in a private home.Costs per day are difficult for us to estimate for your trip, because each person's travel style, preferences, financial resources, and trip are different. As a rough rule of thumb, Rick Steves states, in his book Europe Through the Backdoor 2009, that a couple can travel comfortably in Europe for a month for about $185/day (total, not per person), not including airfare. Your costs will vary depending on where in Italy you go. Venice is one of the more expensive destinations, also Rome and Florence. In general, your dollar will go farther in the country.

Have you looked into maybe a vacation rental? A small studio may fit the budget and you can cook some meals if need be. I would also stay our of cities...and maybe head South where you get more for your money!