Sorry, I meant Lake Lucerne

My €0.015 ($0.02):


Naples proper

Cilento coast during the week in summer (SW of Salerno and Agropoli). It's a beach resort area that's amazingly quiet during the week, but hectic during weekends. Paestum is a 30-minute drive as are the bufala mozzarella casefici.

I would add another vote to the cities of Emilia-Romagna.

Anyone familiar with Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Trieste? Alto Adige (not in winter)?

One thing about Cilento:

If the sun is just about to set, and the day is clear with no haze, you can see Capri and Sorrento across the Gulf of Salerno, over 60 miles away. Capri and Sorrento appear in silhouette against the setting sun.

TTT

bookmarking...thankyou

You asked about Trieste and I would urge tou to seek other threads on this topic on this forum. But, best source of all, see Jan Morris' book: "Trieste and the Meaning of Nowhere".

It is an amazing city with deep historical roots, some fine restaurants, views and vistas and, even in high season, very few tourists in the town itself. However, you should be aware that the surrounding beaches are resort destinations for day-trippers and so from June to September, very crowded and trafficy.

Don't let that put you off! Trieste was the unexpected hihglight of our most recent trip and we intend to go back next year as even with 4 days, we did not have a chance to totally explore the surrounding area.

Another vote for Puglia. It's vastly popular with Northern Italians seeking summer sun, but they only visit in Julty and August. The rest of the time, there are hardly any tourists, let alone foreigners.

BTW I'd say Umbria is firmly on the tourist map, certainly from a British perspective

Agree with tdyls. Naples is the most maligned, misunderstood, and most underestimated city on earth. However, for the beat non-touristy town in Italy, I would say that Golfo Aranci, in Sardinia, takes the prize. It is a real gem. My wife and I are constantly the only Americans there, and somewhat of an oddity, since the natives are not familiar with Americans. We are treated like royalty, and we endeavor to show the US in a good light.

Napoli, Genova, Perugia, Urbino, Gubbio

great thread, we're hoping to visit Italy next year.....

ttt

The Dolomites are breathtaking.

We live in Le Marche (I am married to an Italian), and it is still very much undiscovered. There are so many medieval villages to discover, it's amazing. That being said, I'd also recommend highly Abruzzo, to the south of us, which seems to maintain an even wilder heart, and much much more distance from the tourist crowds.

I really enjoy Puglia too, and I think that's off the beaten path. Perhaps the coast is kind of built up, but cities like Lecce are gorgeous and mostly tourist-free, and I loved the town of Ostuni. What a gem!

We also went to Trentino this summer and were blown away. What a beautiful region, perfect if you like skiing during winter or, during summer, if you like hiking and visiting the local towns. Trento is particularly charming, but mountain climbing is the thing here. There's lots to explore for every level of difficulty. Rovereto is another charming town there.

We also really like Friuli Venezia Giulia, with Trieste being an elegant and enchanting city to visit. Further north, there's the charming town of Cividale del Friuli.

There's lots to still be discovered in Italy!

Jackie-how are you doing? we no longer live in Italy but as you may recall were your neighbours in Lanciano in the recent past...we so much benefitted from your suggestions...I hope that "eyes" will too!