What to expect in Hostels?

I don't know about convents. As for hostels: they vary a lot, as do hotels. The average age on most hosts is in the 25-30 range. Some hostels are party centrals, and everybody is expected to cope with it (lots of drunk twenties on semester-long backpacking trips, club/pub on the ground floor, the eventual couple making out or else in the bunk bed next to yours). Others are very chilled out places, with quiet rooms, people that spend most of their energy daytime to rest at night etc. Go to hostelworld, it is the largest website for hostel reservations and read the reviews for each hostel. Look at their website and photo gallery. By doing so, you will be able to screen out whether a place is or is not for you.

see accommodations/monasteries http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/links_menu.htm

Here is a site for monastery stay: http://www.monasterystays.com/

And listen to Rick's radio broadcast on hostels in Europe.

Some other things to consider: Most hostels put a cap on how many nights you are permitted to stay consecutively. It's typically 7 nights. You may want to check before you try to book a bed. Hostelworld is a great site for reviews and photos as Andre mentioned, but you pay a booking fee so it's better to reserve your bed directly through the hostel if possible. Private rooms in hostels typically cost as much as a 1 or 2 star budget hotel, pensione or small studio apartment rental. If you are willing to stay in a shared "dorm" room, figure out what your comfort level is before you book. Some hostel rooms are co-ed, they can run from a 2 bed room up to 20 beds. Some have a bathroom inside the room, others share a bathroom down the hall. The average age of most hostellers is early 20s to early 30s. That's not to say you will be the oldest person there (I've seen people in their 70s), but don't expect to meet a lot of hostellers in their 40s or 50s. If you can avoid party hostels or hostels filled with big groups of teens on school vacation, it's actually a nice way to travel as you have access to laundry, Internet and a kitchen. As for convents, just make sure they don't have a curfew. Some do and there is nothing worse than having to make sure you are back at the convent before they lock the front doors at 10pm or midnight. Especially as you will be in a class most of the day and Italians don't really start dinner until 8-9pm.

You can use hostelworld and similar sites to check reviews which can provide some insight into whether it is a "party hostel" or more laid-back.

Karen, have you considered renting an apartment for all or part of your stay? Quite often you can get great discounts for extended rentals. For example, I was looking at an apartment for 5 of us in Positano. The rate to rent for a week was $2000 and for a month was $3000.

My two favorites have been Manarola and Ravenna. They are both a bit of hike from the rail station. You might double check your map if you choose to stay at the one in Ravenna. A couple years ago the RS map was incorrect.

If I understand you question correctly, you are looking for lodgings only for your weekend adventures, not for your time near Florence, correct? YHA-affiliated hostels are your best bet if you are willing to share a room with others. We have stayed in perhaps two dozen of these and in every case, the atmosphere was quite tame and welcoming to people of any age. The rare incident of boisterousness would more likely come from a group of 12-year-olds on a school trip, rather than half-drunk, half-naked 20-year-olds. You should expect it to look like a small college dorm. There are many independent hostels as well, but they vary a great deal in both quality and atmosphere. I would not suggest staying in one without a good recommendation or at least a very favorable impression of their web site. The review sites like Hostelz.com are alright, but I find their reviews to be too scattered to be really helpful. One person says "best hostel ever" and the next person says "never again". It's hard to know what to believe. You should expect these to look like homes or apartments run as a for-profit enterprise, though there are some that look a lot like YHA hostels. We've never stayed in a convent but we might consider it in Italy. Again, you will likely need to share a room. Both hostels and convents will likely have the option of getting a "single" room and not sharing. But they will charge enough for the "luxury" that you would likely be able to find similarly priced B&B's almost anywhere. It sounds like a great experience. I am jealous.

Hi Karen, I'm in the "40-50" age range of hostellers. I'll usually include hostels when I'm extending a trip, traveling solo. I tend to prefer private hostels in Europe, so reviews are paramount in deciding where to stay. Main criteria include: cleanliness, safety, quietness, atmosphere and location (in that order). I look for the details in a review, rather than general like/dislike comments. Although you will not be staying in a hostel during the course, one of my favorite hostels in all of Europe happens to be in Florence: the Academy Hostel. I book the single room for myself for returning visits (booked early, as there is only one...). It meets all 5 of my criteria: http://www.academyhostel.eu/ Here's why I'm mentioning it to you: a) You may need a night or two, outside of the arranged course accommodation,
b) The folks there are so nice, that you may want to wander in anyways and pick their brains about other hostels. I regularly book solo accommodation through Hostelworld, Venere and Booking.com. I also check hostels reviews through Bootsnall. BTW, if you look at both Florence and Pisa airports, you can take a cheap flight anywhere in Europe so don't limit your week-end outings to just Italy (sometimes even under 30 euros!). As well, there are lots of directions that you can easily take-off on day trips from Florence itself, saving you an overnight. It sounds like a great course and that you'll really make the most out of your break!

Thanks for all the great info so far! I've learned about the HI membership as well so will definitely look into that when the date comes closer. In reply to some of your questions.. Yes, I will be renting a flat in Florence for 3 months as my regular accommodations while attending school. (On a separate note, I'm open to any recommendations for that as well!) The school is located in 2 buildings - one along near Ponte a Santa Trinita in Oltrarno; the other near Palazzo Strozzi. My travels outside of Florence will be limited to weekends when class is out. I do hope to possibly extend beyond Italy if/when possible. While 12 weeks sounds like a good amount of time, I'm already running out of weekends when making my plans/itins. Hmm, maybe I'll just make it a year-long career break!

I have no idea how you would do what I am about to suggest, but perhaps someone here has some ideas. You may be able to find people in other places in Italy who would like to swap flats with you for weekends. Maybe through student networking?

@Chani: I think there is a site for that now. (Checking.....) Yep - http://www.airbnb.com/