For starters, do not jam pack your days with activities. On my trip, we stayed at each location for three days. For one out of the three days, we did not plan to do anything. I really liked this because it allowed us to just enjoy the place we were staying and it was kind of a free for all to do what each individual wanted. For instance, in Florence, on our empty day, I went back to the open air market that we went to on the first day because I liked it so much. It was nice though having an agenda for the other two days. If you need ideas on things to do in Florence, check out this website!

As for where to stay, I recommend using Airbnb. I think that overall, Airbnb saves money and is a better experience. Through using Airbnb, we became friendly with the homeowner who gave us helpful information on places to eat and things to do. The homeowner's advice gave our trip more of a native feel, which I appreciated. 

When planning your agenda, it is really important to do your research. For example, when we went to the Sistine Chapel, there was an extremely strict dress code. If you were not following that dress code, workers would not allow you to go into the building. It was really hot the day that we went and I was so close to wearing shorts until my aunt told me about the dress code. I had to go out and buy pants and thank god I did because otherwise I would have had to sit outside and wait for the rest of my family. So again, do your research!