If you like the outdoors ....

I love art ......and im no expert on art; just dont enjoy around thousands of tourist who are only there for the air conditioning.

As they say: to each his own.

Rick Steves' books and tours occupy a niche, just like everybody does.

Basically he caters to the first time North American traveler who travels a country/region for the first time.

When people travel to Europe from as far as North America , they like to see things they can't see near home. Dolomites are great, but most North Americans who travel to Europe for the first time go there for the art and history, of which there isn't as much in North America, not for the outdoors hiking and such, which they can get closer to home.

As the previous comment said. Find a guidebook that caters to your outdoors activity needs, and everybody will be happy.

Hey traveler,

Be glad Rick doesn't publicize the Dolomites more, otherwise it would be overrun. Rick Steves is very selective about where he goes and what he writes about, and as for art history, there isn't much art history in the Berner Oberland section in his book.

Bottom line - If you love art and religious shrines spend more time in Florence; if you love the outdoors more time in the Dolomites.

I loved Switzerland.

I've cleaned up a side discussion here. While political and religious topics do arise here, please hold political and religious debates in another forum. Thanks for keeping it about travel.

Glad you enjoyed the Dolomites, which I hope to see myself someday. At the same time, I do love art enough to grin and bear a lot of company (mostly, anyway) in the places which offer a wealth of the best. As far as 'clumsy', inexperienced travelers come in all nationalities, and I'm happy to say that in our experience, most of our compatriots are doing a pretty good job of putting on their Sunday manners. :O)

There are plenty of outdoor activities at a stone throw from Florence, hot waters, Apennines, grape, porcini, truffle picking, lakes, sea sports such as sailing or snorkeling.

For hiking you should check out the via Francigena which has been recently renewed. The best track is the one that goes through Montalcino, you can also stop for a few wine tasting along the way :-).

We like to balance city and countryside on trips. We visited the Dolomites last month as part of a two-week mostly sightseeing trip; in the Ortesei area although stayed outside of town. The area is spectacularly beautiful and the hiking superb. There are all sorts of hikes from somewhat easy to strenuous. It was a truly memorable part of the trip and very relaxing. The coverage on the RS guidebook was sufficient to make us aware of the possibilities in this area and then we did additional research from there. The main reference book for the area for the non-serious hiker/walker appears to be Shorter Walks in the Dolomites: 50 selected walks (Cicerone Guides).

I agree with the OP's point that the Dolomites are underrated and rarely thought of by Americans.

I am not as into art and history as most other forum members. I don't like spending a full day inside a museum.
For me, everything in Italy is old compared to the US ; I prefer natural beauty and the Dolomites definitely has that.
I think what American tourists do need to learn and take from this post is you should research and customize your trip to your interests.
So many of the guidebooks and travel experts will give you good advise but that is a starting point. From that advise decide what you want your vacation to be.
I think most stick to the big cities of Rome, Florence and Venice since those are the big 3. Sometimes they come home with an impression of the crowds, the lines, the heat if in the summer months, everything being touristy, etc...

I think for many if not all on one rip they should choose no more than 2 of these cities and then combine the 3rd place with their interests to get outside of the city. That could mean renting a car and staying in the Tuscan countryside for a few days and exploring those hill towns instead of 1 of the big 3 ; renting a car and exploring the Dolomites, going to one of the Lake regions, Amalfi Coast or Cinque Terre. It is fine if you miss a big 3 stop on your trip to include one of these regions instead, and missing a big 3 stop leaves a reason to come back.

Italy has so much natural beauty, so does the US but the US is much more spread out than Italy ; within a few hours drive you can be in a completely different landscape.

Heck, every trip we've taken to Italy has been on the seats of our tandem bike, or the soles of our hiking boots. While we enjoy the big cities, we LOVE the countryside. Nothing like getting the feel of the country, and the people when you get away from the hustle of the cities. The Dolomites are on our radar, only problem is, we can't visit when there is no snow to hike because of work schedules...someday though, we'll get there.

Love to stay in the small towns over night and experience a "locals" Italy...enjoy riding the roads and hiking the small trails as well, ending up in town after the day tourists have left...

After a while, one stained glass window looks like another. The mountains on the other hand....

It seems that density of crowds and clumsy tourist diminishes the further one walks beyond pavement and diminishes by the second power as one ascends (by foot) to higher elevations. Even better, it seems that pickpockets stay with the tourist crowds and don't trek the fells.