Go beyond Chianti hotels to castle hotels, rental villas, agriturismi (farm stays), and B&Bs

Saving yourself from sightseeing overload

A surefire method to make sure you get to see and do everything on your list

Tips and advice for how to get the most out of seeing the sights, museums, and monuments during your Italy vacation

The minimum amount of time takes to see Italy's major cities and destinations

From hotel savings to better booking engines, alternative accommodations to lodging rip-offs, here is the best lodging advice around

Don't use the most famous booking engines; use the ones with the largest selection and lowest rates

Hotels' official star ratings have nothing to do with how clean, central, comfortable, or charming a hotel is—just how many (often pointless) amenities it offers

Avoid the scandalously high prices of the hotel minbar

Comparison-shop dozens of booking engines at once

Hostels, B&B's, apartments, farm stays, castles, university dorms, campgrounds...there are so many of these budget options I needed to create a whole separate section on this website just to fit them all in

How far in advance do you need to reserve a hotel room in Italy?

Hotel sites often feature special sales and promotions you won't find on the booking engines and aggregators

From B&Bs and farm stays to cottages, castles, and campgrounds, here are Italian lodging alternatives to the traditional hotel

Shop around, ask lots of questions, even haggle, and you can often get a room for much less

Breakfast at a B&B can be lovely—but at a standard hotel, you probably won't be getting your money's worth

A dozen ways to lower your hotel costs in Italy

User review sites are handy, but take their advice with a grain (make that a shaker) of salt

All the steps you can take to find the lowest price on the perfect place to stay in Italy

I don't mean don't eat breakfast—just try to avoid overpaying the hotel for it

Hotels try to pad your bill with overpriced extras and ancillary fees; here's how to avoid them

A room with "external facilities" (shared bath down the hall) always costs less for this minor inconvenience

Crowd the clan into one room rather than renting two

Get a hotel in the suburbs or next town over to save money

Opaque rates can save you up to 60% if you book a bit blindly

Offer euros rather than Visa, and sometimes you can get a slight discount

Ways to sleep for free in Italy

Hospitality networks gather folks who are willing to put up fellow members in their homes for free or for a small fee

A quick guide to Italian hotels and what to expect from them

How Italian hotels differ from American ones

A few notes on bathrooms in Italian hotels

Picnic like a king on the budget of a pauper in Italy

Tips for finding great restaurants in Italy

Tips to save money on dining in Italy and eat better for it

The most important things to know before booking a rental car in Italy

Obey the speed limits of pay the (high) price

A cheat-sheet of the most important things to know when riding the Italian rails

Top traveler tips for dealing with money and shopping in Italy

Hints, tips, and advice for renting a car in Italy

This wearable safe for keeping your passport, credit cards, and spare cash secure is the one indispensable accessory every traveler loves to hate

Italian road rules are similar enough to North American ones that you'll get by fine; here are the important differences

How to decide if a rental car is the best choice for your Italy vacation

How to get the cheapest fares on Italian trains

A rental car is not always the best choice for a Italy vacation

Stay in the slow lane (the rightmost one) on a European highway unless you are actively passing another car

Unlimited train travel in Italy, or Italy and some neighboring countries, or even all of Europe—Is a Eurail pass worth it?

Major festivals in Italy and public holidays (so you'll know when things will be closed)

How to get the most out of renting a car in Italy with the lowest cost and least hassle

A good road map of Italy can save you time and help you discover places and things not in your guidebook

Top shopping tips for a trip to Italy to help you bring home the best gifts and souvenirs from your Italian travels at the best price

Assorted packing and luggage hints and hacks

Get ready to do some math in your head

Young adults, families, seniors, and couples can get 25%–50% off all trains

A traveler's guide to learning how to pack light and love it—or, how to fit everything you need for a six month trip into a single, carry-on sized bag

Prepare for REALLY expensive gas—like $7 per gallon—in Italy

Like the trains themselves, Italian train stations tend to be clean and user-friendly—with tourist info, hotel booking service, left luggage lockers or offices, and decent snack bars (in case you forget to pick up train picnic supplies in town)

London is the cheap airfares turnstile of Europe, so fly cheaply into here and then elsewhere in Europe or North Africa on a no-frills airline for far less

The traveling closet: Packing techniques to keep clothing wrinkles to a minimum

Many Italian cities are now closed to non-resident cars

You do not technically need a IDP for Italy, but consider getting one

Don't leave anything visible in the car

Advice for female travelers in Italy

Advice, tips, resources, and tours for disabled, handicapped, and physically challenged travelers who want to take an Italy vacation

A traveler's guide to race matters in Italy and a frank rundown of what to expect if you're black, Asian, Arab, Indian, or otherwise not visibly of European descent

Information and concerns for gay, lesbian, transgender, and bisexual travelers in Italy

How to get an Italian codice fiscale for filling out forms