While Italy as a whole isn’t renowned as a budget-friendly travel destination, few Italian cities can make you feel like you’ve got the money hose on full-blast like Milan. It’s been named the most expensive city in Italy to live in, so it makes sense that it’s also expensive to visit. Which means that if Milan is on your must-see list, whether for business or pleasure, you’ll want to cut costs wherever possible.

Your biggest expense after airfare is going to be accommodation, so your first task should be booking a room at one of the budget hotels in Milan. What qualifies as a “budget hotel” in this city is different from many other big European cities, and often you’ll find exceptional weekend deals on more upscale hotels that cater to business travelers – once the business people depart, they’d rather have the hotel room full over the weekend (even at a steeply discounted rate) than go empty.

I found a deal for a seriously upscale hotel in Milan that’s definitely worth checking out – it’s a 5-star hotel going for just over $106 per night, more than 40% off the normal rate, and the offer isn’t just limited to weekends. It’s available select dates from June 26 through August 31, and it includes an upgrade to a deluxe room and breakfast thrown in for free.

This hotel, the Melia Milan, is near the city’s trade show center, the FieraMilano, so it does happen to be ideal if you’re there on business. If you’re in Milan for fun, however, the hotel is close to both bus lines and the Milan Metro, so you can get around the city easily. You’ll need to book by May 20, 2009 to take advantage of this stellar deal.