Name a Place That Is Not Crowded.

Puglia was decidedly not crowded in late May and I have literally never eaten better in my life. Everywhere I went in puglia would I think fit your requirements. I was there in October, so I can't speak to what it's like in high season, but Bologna and Parma were very quiet and would satisfy your requirements. Also depends on what you consider crowded - season makes a huge difference. Bigger cities are busy, but don't have to be touristy. I know I'm in the minority here, but I found Naples quite beautiful in its own way and it's a very busy place, but not crowded in a touristy sense. I have heard that Calabria is the next up and coming place in Italy but I imagine it's not too crowded at most times of year. haven't been myself so I can't say but Calabrian food is certainly awesome. Is it a coincidence that these are places that many guidebooks either simply ignore completely or largely gloss over? Who knows. Beauty and overall "touristworthiness" are very much in the eye of the beholder. tourists from all over the world are going to keep going to places like Cinque Terre (though while Vernazza was nearly intolerable even in October, the 3 smallest towns were down right empty) and the Amalfi Coast because of the hype and many other factors. And while they are lovely places, I'd take sleepy, authentic Puglia any day.

Venice. Seriously. Check out these pics I took this past May. Also, Padova and Arezzo (I added Arezzo after seeing it listed below.)

My favorite place was on the Rome undeground during commute time but Rick Steves should have been more candid about the crowding so I never returned to Rome. I found a replacement place that is beautiful, offers an attraction or two, has great rooms and food, and that is NOT crowded. Iam using the web app Omerta 3.2.7 to attach my photo album. I checked with Omerta's webmaster in Naples who assures me that Omerta has no objection. Here is the link the gave me: !#{\£+*.|]]]@

Tunisa is calmed down but tourists still have not returned in big numbers.

Ravenna! I'll second Padova and Bologna as well. Consider Sicily, too - I loved Palermo (crowded but not with tourists) and some smaller places inland (Enna, Piazza Armerina where the residents will actually stop and talk to you to make sure you're having a good time), Siracusa (pretty big city but easy to get around).

Arezzo, Italy. Relatively unknown, relatively inexpensive, relatively close to day-trip places. And it has some cultural stuff like Roman arena and archaeological museum, plus a couple of churches (of course). It's easy to get there from Florence.

Calabria and Basilicata are also relatively uncrowded. I recommend the Silla mountains area for the kind of "frozen in time" village life some people seek, but do not find, in the hills of Toscana. But that comes with cons as well: not many super-hyper friendly tourist office with all information, not many high-end restaurants (but a good offer of regular restaurants) etc. Other are surprisingly overlooked and underrated by travelers are the eastern slopes of the Apennines in Marche and Abruzzo. Camerino, L'Aquila and the Gran Sasso National parks are the highlights, uncrowded any time of the year. For a coastal destination with cliffs, villages hanging in mountains and few crows, I recommend the Promontorio del Gargano area

I was in Florence in early March of this year. The only two places where there was a crowd of any kind was the Accademia and the Uffizi. We had a reservation for each, so waiting was minimal. We had NO wait at all to get into the Duomo, the Medici Chapel, the Bargello, the Museum of San Marco, Church of Santa Maria Novella, Galileo Science Museum, Pitti Palace, etc. We also took a one-day private tour to four different towns in Tuscany - also empty (tourist-wise). I also spent a week in the Netherlands in early March 2010 and had the exact same experience (Amsterdam, like NYC, was crowded, but I still walked right into the Rijksmuseum without waiting). No crowds at all at Kinderdijk, Delft, Volendam, Edam, Bourtange, Nijmegen, Aslsmeer Flower Auction, Utrecht, Gouda, etc. The bottom line is that if you travel in the off season, these places are totally different than during May - August.

Gubbio, Pienza and Ferrara.

The Piemonte. We were there in June of this year and stayed at a winery outside of Treiso. If you like food, wine and beautiful scenery without crowds of tourists it is hard to beat. We visited Barolo and Barbaresco and the towns were nearly empty. There are some tourist sites there, but I guess not enough to draw crowds. One day we ventured up to Aosta in the Valle d'Aosta which had a few more people, but definitely not crowded. Aosta has Roman ruins and is beautiful. On the way back we toured Fenice Castle. I highly recommend that corner of Italy.

Way to go Sherry! I second her response of the Val d' Aosta. It is so beautiful nestled in between Mt Blanc and the Matterhorn. The small villages have the nicest people. Another advantage is that you can fly into Geneva Airport which is very easy in and out. From there you can drive south through France into Italy. It is only about 1.5 hours by car to Aosta. You can experience 3 countries within a couple of hours.