Italian cell phone - I'm looking for a cheap, but good, cell phone.?

I'm in Italy for 3 years to study. I need a cell phone mainly for SMS, to make brief calls, and to accept brief and lengthy calls from the US and Italy. I just want a phone that works anywhere and everywhere, has good battery life, and isn't too expensive. I'd like to go with either TIM or Vodafone - not Wind (it doesn't have signal lots of places). My Italian isn't so good, and so the webpages for these companies are a little confusing for me. I just need help picking a cheap phone, cheap plan. Help! Thanks a lot!
Additional Details
I send a lot of SMS within Italy, rarely outside. But, I do receive calls from outside Italy on a regular basis. These are usually long phonecalls. I make some brief phonecalls, but only in Italy. I know I do not want Wind. I've had several friends who were unhappy with the service they received - no signal in a lot of areas, etc.