Best out of the way, hidden European City you have visited?
 

I wrote a message about this yesterday, citing my experience in Le Marche region of Italy (anyone been there? thank you to those who responded). Le Marche is a very hidden region of Italy that not many American tourists journey to, and for these reasons I felt like it gave me the chance to really be immersed in the culture. Any other places like this? Not just in Italy--anywhere you've been that is a sort of hidden treasure like this? Looking also at other Italian regions with the hope of returning and finding more places like Le Marche. Also, if you have been to Le Marche, what did you think? <BR> <BR> <BR>geocities.com/j_goyette/t.html

As a former student in the uk, I usually went to Wales for the weekend breakaway, and I found it like home, because the language, the order of words are so similar to mine. I also escaped from any US accent there.

Argeles-sur-Mer and the surrounding area in the Languedoc (France).

Jackie, I make it a point to seek out these places and have several favorites <BR>but the ones that stand out to me are <BR>Marvao, Portugal, Hallstatt, Austria, and Portovenere, Italy. I would love to <BR>design an itinerary some day that only <BR>included isolated historic places such <BR>as these.Oops, almost forgot another one <BR>that is deserving, Cesky Krumlov, CZ

Bassano del Grappa, Italia <BR>Les Andelys, France <BR>Seu d'Urgell, España <BR>

sounds great, all of them--wondering about Bassano del Grappa and Protovenere in Italia--which regions are those places in? Also, any advice on guidebooks I could find for small places like these?

Atrani, near Amalfi on the Amalfi Coast. Also, surprise--liked Belfast and the Antrim coast nearby.

Ronda, Spain is located on a bluff overlooking a fertile valley. The town is separated by a bridge over a deep gorge...very quaint..

Jackie - Portovenere is in Liguria near La Spezia in the northwest part of Italy below the Cinque Terre. Bassano del Grappa is in northeast Italy in the Veneto and Friuli region. Personally, I liked Santa Margherita Ligure but it is not "hidden". Hope this helps.

Much of Lower Bavaria (mainly Franconia) is rarely visited by North Americans, or non-Germans for that matter. The major cities of Bamberg and Wuerzburg have much to recommend them. <BR> <BR>We've found delight in the little city of Iphofen, not far from Wuerzburg and over-touristed Rothenburg. This walled city is straight out of the middle ages, and unspoiled by the hordes visiting Rothenburg. <BR> <BR>For those who enjoy white wine, by the way, Franconia produces some of the best whites in the world. The ones from Iphofen are among the very best indeed. <BR> <BR>Ed

Antakya (the ancient Antioch), Turkey is worth a special trip. Very few Americans go there, and the people are marvelously hospitable. You can visit the grotto where one of the earliest Christian churches began, started by St. Peter before he went on to Rome and martyrdom. The museum in Antakya houses some of the biggest and best-preserved Roman mosaic pavements anywhere.

Ronda (Spain) IS great!...but hardly hidden or undiscovered as most tours through Andalucia make a stop there!

Zakopane, Poland, is not a secret to Poles and is in the Tatras. It is about a 2-hour bus ride from Krakow and is a beautiful little town, with things to do both during the summer and winter.

Jackie, <BR> <BR>Bassano del Grappa is about an hour or so north of Verona, vaguely in the general direction of Trentino - - on the way towards Innsbruck. <BR> <BR>And Ed's comments about Bavaria reminds me to put in two cents worth for Landshut, Germany - - perhaps a little more well known than the other three I mentioned. <BR> <BR>Guidebooks for these and others? Well, our host here puts out some pretty good books, you know - - just remember that towns of lesser renown usually only get a page or two. The appeal is where you find it - - and not every little "unknown" town is a diamond in the rough - - it has to do with walking around in it and finding some special connection that clicks for you.

Oh - - and I forgot to mention - - "lesser known" (by Americans) places in Europe does not necessarily equate to "Podunk" or unconnected to the modern world in their own way. Bassano del Grappa has a nice official web site (you can find it by just searching Bassano del Grappa on Alta Vista) - - www.comune.bassano.vi.it - - in Italian only, though.

Bellaggio, Italy. If I didn't have to work for a living, I would have stayed there. It is magnificent.

A few places that I have been to come to mind - 1) Kazimerz Dolny, Poland (where the silent film The Dybbuk was filmed) - about 80 miles SW of Warsaw is a nice old town, with a well preserved main square, and its not too much on the beaten path; 2) Roundstone, Ireland, in Connemara - while the area is definitely not off the beaten path, all of the tour busses seem to go to nearby Clifden, in my mind not nearly as nice; 3) Kutna Hora, Czech Republic - a good day trip from Prague, a town whose heyday was maybe the 14th century

1. Orvietto, Italy, about an hour train ride from Rome, and worth the effort, just for the peace and quiet, as well as the hand painted pottery, the cathedral and the Orvietto Classico white wine. <BR>2. Trier, Germany at the end of the Mosel River. Roman ruins, great food and beer and off the beaten path. <BR> <BR>3. Graz, Austria...home of Der Arnold, and one of the imperial cities of Austria.

Rex: I totally agree with you about "lesser known" not equaling podunk. i was asking someone before about Verona and if it was overly touristy, and he said that places that are touristy means there is something to visit, but I think that a lot of places that might not gain lots of tourists can still be very very special. Where I stayed in Le Marche region turned out to be my favorite place in all of Italy to visit (including the larger, more "touristy" towns). I also agree though that not every place is a diamond in the rough--but its like that anywhere you are. <BR> <BR>Tom: My parents stayed in Orvieto when they visited me in Italia, and they loved it. I am interested definitely in going there sometime. Do you know if it is in Umbria, or Tuscany? I thought it was in Umbria, but someone said something about it being in Tuscany, so I'm not sure. <BR> <BR>Thanks for the guidebook info too--I agree, normally those places only get a page or two. <BR> <BR>Anyone been to Ascoli Piceno or Urbino in the Marche Region? <BR> <BR> <BR>visit my column on travel: <BR>geocities.com/j_goyette/t.html

We went to Italy in November and went to Burano, an island bout 30 - 45 minutes by boat from Venice. A charming little fishing village, famous for lace making. All the houses are painted in different colors (blue, purple, green, barn red, butterscotch). It seemed like we were in a movie set at Universal studios.

Jackie, <BR> <BR>Orvietto is in Umbria. For those that are unaware, it is a magnificent little hill town that is very quiet and it provides a great getaway for a day from the chaos that is Rome. <BR> <BR>Here in Western NJ, we eat at a restaurant called Orvietto quite often. The owner, chef is from Orvietto and cooks a magnificent meal. We are going there for dinner on Christmas Eve and will have the traditional feast of the fish. I'll be surprised because I'm not Italian, nor catholic, but Southern Baptist. The food is so good, however I won't need to be either to enjoy it!

Clermont-Ferrand, France is a wonderful city that is completly overlooked by many. The city is in a valley, surrounded by volocanic mountains. Because the local stones are volcanic, all of the major buildings are black- very Gothic and unusual. C-F is situated in the Auvergne region, which is one of the nicest regions in France- lots of forests (even some national parks), old villages (especially in the Cantal) and genuine French charm.

I would like to add some places that I think firmly they are hidden pearls relatively unknown by tourists but very well-known by local people. These are: <BR> <BR>-The city of Cuenca ( Central Spain )and its surroundings(For those who love Ronda, Cuenca recently included into the listing of World Heritage sites, deserves to be seen. The new Parador is great.) <BR> <BR>-The small town of Albarracín (Central Spain, too ). Its lovely setting and the village is one of the most beloved by the painters and artists. <BR> <BR>-The area ( Southern Spain )that includes Ubeda, Baeza, Cazorla and Cazorla Natural Park. ( The biggest wilderness area in Spain, where Guadalquivir river has its source. ) Beautiful monumental cities. ) Good Paradores in Ubeda and Cazorla. <BR>

Basque Country is more and more known among tourists, but very few yet, apart of Biarritz, Donostia-St.Sebastian, Bilbao and Iruñea/Pamplona. There are lovely towns on the coast Lekeitio for example, the same for Elorrio, Lesaka, Donibane Garazi/ St. Jean-Pie-de-Port and so on.

Vigo and Leon in Spain. Absolute gems. <BR> <BR>Viana Do Castelo in Portugal. Unspoiled seaside medieval village. <BR> <BR>Trento in Northern Italy. Outstanding restaurants, incredible history, magnificent city.

Jackie, <BR> <BR>I'm not sure where you stayed in Le Marche, but some of the places there we really enjoyed were: <BR> <BR>Urbino - After Florence the most important Italian city during the Renaissance. <BR> <BR>San Leo - Small hill-top town with great view of San Marino and the surrounding area. <BR> <BR>Sirolo - Medieval coastal town south of Ancona. Stayed at a converted convent on the top of Monte Conero, which is 3 miles above the town in the forest. <BR> <BR>Ascoli Piceno - Almost to the borger of Abruzzo. Beautiful main piazza. Be sure to try the Olive Ascolani, stuffed olives that are breaded and fried. Heavenly. <BR> <BR>In answer to your question, I loved Le Marche as much as the rest of Italy. So much to discover.

Trondheim, Norway is a gem of a small city that I was lucky enough to stay in for a week quite awhile ago. We stayed with friends attending the college there. The small harbor and cathedral were beautiful. It made a nice touring base for the countryside and some fiords and the only tourist I saw all week was the one looking back in our bathroom mirror.

A couple of places come to mind (no particular order): a- Villars, Switzerland. A delightful intermediate skiing area with the preponderance of foreign visitors from France, Germany and a smattering from the UK. b- Pasteum Italy - about an hour south of Salerno. Marvelous greek temple ruins and, even for a museophobe, one of the finest museum of antiquities. If you aren't physically up to Pompeii, a marvelous alternative. The area is very agricultural. The fresh vegetables, cheeses, fruits are excellent during the summer. c-not hidden but probably not well visited by tourists would be the Tegensee just outside of Munich. You can easily reach Munich with a 1/2 hour ride on the Sbahn and the lakeside setting & friendly people is a spectacular alternative in the warm weather months. How about hidden cities in Asia, South America, Mexico, Africa for another string?

Pasteum sounds wonderful, and so do the German cities. Any advice on when to travel to these places? Southern Italy? Thanks! <BR> <BR>geocities.com/j_goyette/t.html

I would add Lienz in Osttirol, Volterra, and Ravello to the list. Like Hallstatt, Ravello isn't exactly undiscovered, but surely deserves mention as out of the way and extremely beautiful. Lienz and Volterra seem to fit the bill perfectly - beautiful, out of the way, undiscovered.

There is a wonderful coastal town on the Cornish Pennisula in Southern England called Mousehole...and another great, out of the way spot called Lamorna..(sp?) I remember thinking that if my ship ever came in I would retire to one of these places and just do art or write novels for the rest of my days. Didn't see another American for two days.

Scena in South Tyrol, Italy is a georgeous village in the foothills of the Alps. Many hotels and pensions to choose from with unbelievable low prices for room and 2 delicious meals, superb mountain scenery. 30 minutes by train from Bolzano. Early Spring is best to visit with thousands of apple trees in bloom.

I think May is the perfect time to visit Southern Italy, April the best for Sicily. June, July, and August are unrelievedly hot.

Orvieto is wonderful, and it is in Umbria, not Tuscany. It's not exactly untouristed--the bus hordes arrive around 10am and leave in the afternoon. So spend the night, or more, and visit the Cappelle Nuova in the Duomo before 10. I went to the little tourist office across the piazza to buy tickets early one morning, and was told (in Italian) that it is gratis before 10am. Orvieto is lovely in the evenings--we had a memorable one during which my son played hide & seek with 4 local children after dinner.

Stein am Rhein (Switzerland)- beautifully preserved medieval city with wonderfully painted buildings, abbey, and bakeries. Although it was a very frosty October day, we had a hard time leaving this little jewel of a town.

For Italy, check out the little beach town of Gaeta. It's about midway between Rome & Naples & most of the tourists seemed to be very friendly Italians. Agree with Stein am Rhine; also Mittenwald in Bavaria is great. <BR>

Stein-Am-Rhein is such a lovely town that Don painted a picture from one of my photos. It's posted on our site at <BR>http://www.thetravelzine.com/gallery.htm <BR>If you click on Stein-Am-Rhein below the picture, you'll get to the page where we wrote about our visit to the town (down at the bottom). TheTravelzine.com is non-commercial. <BR>Happy New Year, <BR>Linda and Don

Hi That's a tough question the BEST out of the way European city I've visited. Well here goes: <BR>1- Kutna Hora in the Czech Rep. <BR>2- Telc in the Czech Rep. <BR>Both are not too frequented by tourists, especially the latter. It has about the nicest looking Town Center I've seen. The buildings are painted beautifully and it is very pretty. Just about no tourists were there either which is unfortunate for the people living there. <BR>3-Vicenza in Italy. Another very nice city. Many Americans there due to the air base but relativly untouristed. Has a very interesting old theatre that is 18th century. Very good pizza also. <BR>There are some others also but they were touristed but not by many Americans. <BR>4- Graz Austria <BR>5- Merano Italy <BR>6- Pirano Slovenia <BR>I think most countries have hidden places. The fun is too find it. <BR>alan <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR>

Thanks for the feedback on the Marche region--I also enjoyed Ascoli Piceno, Urbino, and Sirolo. Sirolo is SOO beautiful! Has anyone been to Loreto in the Marche region? <BR> <BR>Thanks for feedback thus far. all these places sound wonderful for visiting!

What a great topic! For the cities I've seen, I agree with most of the opinions and now I have a whole new list of places to check out! My favorites would have to include Vollendam (a small fishing village outside of Amsterdam with picturesque views and great Dutch pancakes), Burano (though with the tourist daytrippers, it couldn't really be called "hidden") and Konya (very religious city with a more traditional Islamic feel than most of Turkey). I'd love to hear responses to this question for best out of the way, hidden city in other parts of the world....