Italy trip

In Venice you might try Hotel Serenissima. It's midway between the Rialto Bridge and Saint Mark's Square. The website is www.hotelserenissima.it.
For Florence, try B&B Le Seggiole in the middle of the town. The website is www.leseggiole.com. In Rome, I recommend a b&b called Suites Piazza del Popolo. Located on Via Flaminia, it's between the Borghesi Gardens and the Tiber. A modern tram runs right past the b&b, or you can easily walk to the Piazza del Popolo, a major public transit hub.This is not in the middle of a tourist area, but you're going to be using public transit to get around Rome wherever you stay. The website is www.suitespiazzadelpopolo.com. Feel free to write if you have questions.

Center of town and cheap do not go together well. Please define cheap? Dollar or Euro range? It has no meaning as word by itself.

And do you have the RS Italy book? It's a great place to start, allowing you to pick neighborhoods according to your specific interests and lodging that fits your specific budget. Happy travels.

In those three cities many hotels near the main train station are in the "budget" category. I have used venere.com to find hotels: Enza Hotel in Florence, Tivoli Hotel in Venice (not real close to the station, but walking distance), and Hotel Katty in Rome. If you are serious about "cheap," check out the LET'S GO books which are aimed at young people.

In Venice, look at places in the Dorsoduro - not far from the hubbub, but quiet and usually cheaper. In Florence, I stay at the Archi Rossi Hostel - excellent location, they have double rooms en suite. In Rome, Hotel Italia, Via Venezia 18, is central and not expensive. It is pretty late to start making reservations, so you might not find many bargains.

In 2009 my wife and I stayed at Hotel Portoghesi in Rome. It was a GREAT location in 'old Rome' I don't remember what we paid might have been $120 to $130 EUR We were very satisfied.