I would highly recommend Le Marche and Puglia!

While not off the tourist track completely they are a breath of fresh air compared to the crowds elsewhere in Italy with lovely towns, villages and food!

You can read one of our trip reports here http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...t-do-italy.cfm

And see our photos here
Puglia http://www.flickr.com/photos/pug_gir...7635047994978/

Le Marche http://www.flickr.com/photos/pug_gir...7634528008046/

I would recommend my little gem in central Florence
www.bellevuehouse.com

I would recommend my little gem in central Florence
www.bellevuehouse.it

Check out Bergamo - Alta Citta. Easily accessible by train from Milan or Florence. Funicular to the upper city. Very walkable, no big chain hotels but delightful small ones, wonderful food and wine (but then that's true all over Italy). Try Valcolepio (locally produced wine) and casoncelli (butter, sage, veal filled pasta). These two items have set my food bar rather high for a great rustic meal. May would be beautiful.

We spent 3 days there in June, could have stayed longer. This is where I felt most "Italian" - ache to return.

Cittadella in Veneto; the little villages around Bassano del
Grappa; the E-R coast down to le Marche (not in summer).
Tuscan villages between Florence and Siena.

The key to finding 'hidden gems' is to rent a place for a
week or longer and just randomly wander in the surrounding
area. It's almost impossible to find any secretive gems
without a car and a 'slowtrav' attitude.

Hi,

My wife and I spent two months in Europe last summer and thoroughly enjoyed many parts of Italy. We were most disappointed with Capri but Sorento is a must and is wonderful in the evening too. We suggest going on to the Amalfi coast.
We are also intrigued by the Cinque Terre and have planned a trip there for 2014, God willing.
Good luck.

While none of the places that you have on your list are hidden, it is possible to visit places with fewer tourists (especially American tourists). Sarge56 gave you a lot of great ideas. In Venice, we took ourselves on a walking tour of the Canneregio (from J.G. Links' great book "Venice for Pleasure"), and had a mid-morning espresso at a little bar where everyone else was male, local, and drinking an ombra.

we went with our daughters, also 20s, a couple years ago. First Venice, then train'd to Bologna for 3 nights (day trip to Ravenna) on the way to Rome. We all loved Bologna. Not hidden, but not always the very top of peoples' lists.

I wouldn't call them "hidden gems," but I highly recommend the Italian Lakes Region. Lake Maggiore is within an easy 45 minute bus ride from the Milan train station, and from Stresa on Lake Maggiore you can take train to Lake Como and from there to Lake Garda. These are the three largest lakes in Italia and the most beautiful for my money. Lago Maggiore is my favorite. It's not as visited by American tourists as Lago Como, but has wonderful sights starting with the 3 Borromean Islands which are close to Stresa. You can also take a combination train and ferry trip to Locarno in Switzerland, and get off and on at as many towns along the lake as you want on the way back. Also, don't miss the Villa Taranto while you are at Lago Maggiore - it's a fabulous estate with magnificent garden plantings.

A couple of more suggestions and there will be enough here for an entire guidebook.

Kind of makes you wonder why someone wouldn't just get a guidebook to begin with and pick out places that interest them.

tc1000, next time you visit Maggiore you might want to check out Ascona on the Swiss side.
https://www.google.ca/search?q=ascon...w=1280&bih=687

A lot of people are amazed to find palm trees in Switzerland.

I live in Naples.
If you want hidden gems, you have to head to South first.
Since you land in Naples, visit the city for 1-2 days (especially the hystorical center and the Area Flegrea), then go to Ercolano roman ruins (instead of the usual Pompei). This is an easy day trip from Naples using local train. Back to Naples, rent a car and drive to the Amalfi coast (skip Sorrento), visiting Positano and Amalfi. From Amalfi take the stairs through Atrani (this place is said to be of inspiration for Escher, who lived there) up to Ravello. It can be tiring but extremely rewarding for the view (otherwise, drive to Ravello directly).
Then go to Matera and Lecce by car and back to Naples passing through small villages in Aspromonte and Pollino (the wildest preserved national park in South Europe). Alternatively, forget the car and take the hydrofoil from Naples to Stromboli (Eolie Islands), do some island-hopping (Panarea, Vulcano, ...), and then go to Sicily (in May it is gorgeous, and no tourists at all ...) disembarking in Milazzo, climb Etna, visit Taormina and then Palermo using public transportation (on the way you can visit Catania, Piazza Armerina, Enna), and from here back to Naples using the ferry boat (alternatively, you can take a ferry boat to Naples from Catania).
From now on, you can start the standard tour in Italy (Rome, Florence, Venice and some (not-at-all) hidden gems ...
Contact me if you need suggestions.
Have a nice trip.
Zach

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Actually, if you want to see some countryside do take the train from Florence to Siena instead of that express bus.