Again my views on having spent some time here.

What to do: The best you can do is with stuff related to the sea. Soaking up, snorkelling, kayaking etc. If you have seen the churches in Italy, the ones here are very spartan. In most cases you would be disappointed if you spent all that money on a cab and drove up there. So my suggestion, is locate a nice city where you can enjoy the sea. Find an apartment there. Go shopping at the supermarkets nearby for breakfast and snacks. Take the lunch and/or dinner at the restaurants nearby. There are plenty of british pubs, danish cafes and swedish restaurants. I guess they are the most frequent visitors.

Money: ATM machines accepted my US issued cards without any problem. The concern was more with the exchange rate of more than $2 per pound. Made you feel like you were in UK, only a worse exchange rate. Credit cards are also accepted widely.

Internet access: Most places provide you with internet access. The cost ranges from 1 -3 pound per hour. I had my Powerbook with me and could connect pretty much everywhere. Most places did give me internet connection for 1 pound per hour since I had my own computer. The better thing would be to bring the device that checks the availability of free wireless signal. Plug in your computer on the spot and check your emails. I did get plenty of @linksys@ SSID all over Milan