15

I love Turin and it often seems to be missed off the list of places people want to visit. Lots to do and see there, loads of beautiful architecture and not far from the Alps.

16

OP should get a guidebook- the company that runs this board happens to sell a few. At this point, teh query is just too vague to merit answering.

17

Try Sicily. Most tourists want to tic off Rome, Florence, Tuscan Hills, Venice....
Sicily is often less travelled. Sicilians are great! There are Greek temples - the more famous one -Agrigento, to the south- can be busy with bus tours in peak hours, but other temples (South & West) you may stumble upon pretty much empty!

Small towns are filled with rich history and art- yours to explore. Only 2 big cities Palermo and Catania. Catania filled with tourists enroute to see Etna perform her explosive lava works and Palermo is the financial, shopping and cruise ship town with fantasic artful cathedrals . Great places to visit.

The coastline around Sicily is dotted with interesting areas. To the North is the Tyrhennian sea - with active volcanic islands, West has some fabulous beaches and Nature reserves. Hilltop town, walled towns, all satisfy the imagination of territorial battles of medieval times.

Don't listen to fears of the mafia, they have little to no interest in tourists.
Grab a guide book and start to study the area before you go. Expect it to be extremely hot! 30-35C in June.

Enjoy! as I have many times.
ShaMas (Canada)

18

But you must! visit Rome, Venice...basically all the well-known cities. It's an experience that you'll enjoy. Just stay there two-three days and move on...

Amalfi coast is touristy but mostly national tourists. Small towns like Maratea, Sapri...coastal and mountain cities that are on the coast aren't frequented by many tourists.

And if you don't want to run into many tourists go during the off-season.

19

I think it would be a mistake to skip places just because they are touristy. As some others have mentioned, these places have lots of visitors for a reason and are truly unique. If you are new to traveling, they are also a great place to get your feet wet since they have a lot of English speakers/resources for tourists. I would not discount the big three (Florence, Venice, Rome) especially if you are, as you say, a lover of art. Other very touristy places like the Cinque Terre, Amalfi Coast and Pompeii are also wonderful. It all depends on what you want. Price wise, if you want to be in the countryside, the Marche and Abruzzo are just as nice as Tuscany and Umbria (and, as someone mentioned, probably cheaper). If you like hiking, I hear the Dolomites are fantastic. If you like the beach, check out Puglia, Sicily or Sardinia. There's something for everyone, it just depends what you want!

20

If you like to go to places off the beaten track, I suggest the Lake Maggiore and Orta ... this one is little known by tourism, but much more interesting, with the fantastic island of San Giulio reached by boat
If you like trekking, I recommend the Italian Alps near Mount Rose.

I know that there is an association that organizes trips from Milan of 1 or 2 days (easy trekking or walking ) in this beautiful area.
I can give you the link to visit the website: http://www.italianmountains.org