For rome...there is a small hostel that is close to the termini station...i think it's on via marghera off the right flank of the station. It's pretty cheap and clean, however the neighborhood can be seedy at night. It's best when you are with a friend or a group of people. it's close to lots of buses so it's relatively convenient. i think the name is friend's place or something to that effect. good luck and have fun in rome.

I've stayed here:

http://www.yellowhostel.com/

It's not too expensive, relatively clean, shared rooms w bunks i think... youth hostelish type, kindof near termini station

also stayed at another one near there, can't remember the name tho

here's a list, i recommend hotel campo di fiori, great location

http://www.net4.com/rom-hotels/hotels.html

beehive hostel is also near termini station in rome. it's extremely clean with modern furnishings. it has private rooms but not ensuite bathrooms. however, when i was there my room only shared a bath with one other room, which was not occupied during my stay so i essentially had a private bath. it's run by an american expat couple whom i didn't find to be particularly warm or helpful, but considering the rates are about half the price of nearby full service hotels, i didn't mind.

Private room w/ensuite bath, clean, safe and cheap? In Rome? That's funny. Thanks for making me laugh on Monday morning.

Seriously though. For a private room w/bath you have to look at hotels, not hostels. My guess is that you're looking at 100 euro/night minimum for a hotel that is anything more than a complete dive. A couple years ago I paid something like 150 euro for a double occ hotel room right near the termini station. Neighborhood was a little seedy at night but hotel was safe.

Hotel Aphrodite is a full service hotel right across from the Termini station with double rooms at 90 EU/night. Went there after my reservation at the Beehive ran out. Rooms are also clean and modern and they do have ensuite baths (which, IIRC were fairly large by European standards). Only complaint: noise...if you get a room facing the street it would be a good idea to have earplugs on hand, which luckily I always do when traveling.

Not the cheapest, but the BEST.

When in Rome....

.....stay in a flat, find the local alimentari, cook for yourself, invite people over for wine soaked suares....

theres a place called faulty towers which was pleasant and clean. and you have to love the name.

does your school have an abroad program in rome/florence?
cause that may also be worth checking into...the last time i went
to rome we got one of their unused apartments (school wasn't in
session) and it was right in the center..totally beautiful place too.
huge apartment with individual bedrooms and bathrooms.

maybe there's a room open in one of those locations that they'd
be willing to rent for cheap? of course this doesn't work if your
school doesn't have anything there.

queen...those apartments look kind of cheapish...i mean if you
can get a whole apartment for 830 a week..why not? although
i wouldn't want to be in trastevere necessarily...of course i wouldn't
want to be near termini either.

I checked out Fawlty Towers when I was in Rome and found it to be dumpy and cramped. Cleanliness might be acceptable to some, but is well below the immaculate conditions I expect when staying away from home. Furnishings and interiors are dated. Nothing even close to ensuite bathrooms. Does not have a full kitchen so forget doing any of your own cooking (of course neither do the hotels, but at least they throw in breakfast). It's on the upper floor of a 4 or 5 story building with an ancient slow elevator so it ends up being faster to just walk up.

what exactly is wrong with trastevere? living there for 4 months loved it. the only part i wouldn't want to be in might be south of the rail station, the rest of it is great, your close to the pantheon, the tempieto, theatro di marcello, palatin hill etc are all within 5-10min walk. and hell on sundays you have porto portese (worlds largest flea market) which is a ton of fun.

rococco.

i agree...if you're planning on living in rome that trastevere
would be fun...i'm just sayin that as a tourist i want to be in
the center. just so you're in the middle of it all...if you're there
for four months seeing both sides of the river and roman
life would be fun.

when i lived there in school i lived right of via del corso on the
south end...ideal for my experience. though i did walk everywhere..
damn i miss rome.

Just to echo several others...

I also stayed at Fawlty Towers. What sucks you in is that heavy backpack you're wearing and the hostel's close proximity to the train station. You can walk across the street, get a room and drop your bag, and then be on your way. However, with that said, I remember that neighborhood being creepy at night...creepy enough that I would recommend you finding another spot in a better part of the city.

If you are staying for a longer time, renting an apartment monthly is hella lot cheaper and nicer than hostels...

Some of the apartments are are out of the movies, if you find a good one it's like living the life of a super star. Flick a switch blinds go up (good morning!), library full of classics, spiral stair to roofgarden with view of the Vatican, cleaners twice a week etc. But... Rome has been unusually good to me.