Where are some great, affordable places for a backpacker to visit in Italy?
Siena, San Gimignano, San Miniato and other small towns are gorgeous, you should really spend some time there. I would make stops in Toscana (Tuscany) rather than in Lazio. I’d visit just Rome in this region and then I’d head north, to Toscana (where Firenze is). Go to Lucca if you have the chance, it’s a small lovely city quite near Firenze. After Toscana, you might want to visit Bologna and Ferrara in Emilia-Romagna and finally Venice.