Recommendations for new places to visit

We really love the Dolomites, but I think that you need to go there sometime past mid May once most of the snow melts from the paths so that your not hiking in slush.

Since you’re coming from the south of France, Piedmont makes a lot of sense. Lots of options there. You could do the country side and wine tours, visit Turin, even the Alps on that side would be lovely if it’s late enough. I really prefer Bellagio on Lake Como, but if you did go to Piedmont you could do Stresa on Lake Maggiore. And then visit all of the Borromean Islands. Alternatively, you could go to the Cinque Terra from Piedmont. We opted to go to Santa Margherita Liguria instead to avoid the crowds of the CT. We also visited Portofino, Camogli and San Fruttuoso from SML.

So many options!

If you're open to renting a car I suggest picking up a copy of "Back Roads Northern Italy" from DK publishing to use as a planner. We used it extensively during an anniversary trip a couple of years ago and enjoyed exploring the scenic drives and hidden little attractions that don't appear in most of the major guidebooks. It made for a very pleasant meander for a couple of weeks. In our particular case we based ourselves in Siena, Montepulciano and Assisi in order to explore the prettiest parts of Chianti, the Val D'Orcia and Umbria, but the book will give you lots of good ideas to organize your own trip.
In general we found driving around the Italian countryside to be an absolute pleasure - the highlight of our trip in fact. There's some advance preparation to be done in order to familiarize yourselves with the Italian rules of the road but once mastered it makes for an enjoyable and relatively stress free driving trip.

April is directing you with similar thoughts to mine so I will merely reinforce.

• Piemonte, a combination of Turin and Alba, perhaps a stop at Stresa. Stresa is beautiful although we were a little bored as we are very active hikers/walkers. Three nights was enough there but I could spend a week in Alba and environs. We did spend 4 nights in Bra once, strictly travel by train, and enjoyed hitting several small towns. In retrospect, though, we would have either rented a car or hired a driver for a wine tour day.

• Liguria, not just te Cinque Terre, is worth a visit and totally different from Amalfi. We have staying the Cinque Terre four times but the last visit we stayed in Camogli and loved it! It allowed a day trip to the CT but also time in Rapallo, Santa Margherite Liguria, and San Fruttuoso. Great food in Liguria, too, better than Amalfi IMO. Absolutely do not need a car.

I second poster April’s comments above.
We have been to Bellagio four times and love it there, always stay up the hill from the water, away from day trippers.
Also a fan of Santa Margherita Ligure and Camogli, plus Portovenere.

Hi JR, I have been to both the Cinque Terre (five lands that consists of Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso al Mare) and the Amalfi Coast which are very different from one another. You need a minimum of two nights in the Cinque Terre unless you hike or take day trip(s) and if you do, add an additional night per hike / day trip. The most scenic way to visit these five lands is by ferry.
Another town I recommend along the Amalfi Coast is Amalfi town but that too will be overrun with tourists and so will the Cinque Terre. If you’ve already driven or taken a ferry along the Amalfi Coast then no need to return.
For the lakes region choose one and I recommend Varenna on Lake Como because of its “in your face mountains”. There’s plenty of shade here because you feel engulfed by its dramatic scenery. You also want to take a direct 15-minute ferry to Bellagio and wander there for a day. Plan a minimum of three nights on Lake Como and that includes a day trip to Milan (1h 15m by direct train). Both the Cinque Terre and Lake Como are very accessible by train.
Tuscan hill towns that might interest you are: Volterra, Pienza’s old town and San Gimignano. I suggest renting a car while in Tuscany. To learn more, buy Rick Steves IT guidebook 26th edition.

I concur with the info about Stresa & Torino.

I would also recommend checking on-line for options to attend any Spring festivals in Italy for the dates you’re planning. I’ve attended festivals in Aug/Sept. - music festivals in Stresa, a jousting festival in Arezzo, etc. and those are always so worth attending, especially since you are interested in photography.

We liked Bergamo, which is just an hour by train from Milan, and a couple short train hops from Varenna/Lake Como. The old, walled section - Città Alta - is perched above the modern city, and is especially scenic and interesting. Take the upper funicular even higher up San Vigilio hill for stunning views and an enjoyable walkabout. Oh, and have an evening dinner on the terrace, under the vines, at Circolino Città Alta: lively, economical, yummy, and LOTS of Italian heard around us.

https://www.visitbergamo.net/en/
https://www.ilcircolinocittaalta.it/en/
Current menu (in Italian only): https://www.ilcircolinocittaalta.it/proposte/la-nostra-cucina.html

I took a snap from somewhere in Citta Alta that's very like the first one on this site:
https://www.planetware.com/tourist-attractions-/bergamo-i-lo-bg.htm

is it really worth going to Cinque Terre if you have been to Amalfi?

I think so, although it depends on what you want to do there? It is, of course, a mecca for hikers although that's not a requirement for having a good time. Each village is a little bit different, and the views are wonderful IF the weather cooperates. You can fill your camera's memory card in a fat hurry, that's for sure! I wasn't, BTW, particularly taken with Positano so our tastes might be different? Yes, the region can be very busy but what it'll be like this spring is a crapshoot at this point. Also, the higher you're willing to climb, the more you'll be able to escape the densest of the potential masses. Anyway, see it both from land and from water, and I'd get all over your reservations for accommodations ASAP.

I see you received other suggestions when you asked a similar question not long ago?
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/must-see-s-that-aren-t-the-regular-tourist-sites

I did ask a similar question not long ago, and was looking for any new input as we move forward with our planning.

I am researching each and every suggestion here as they come in. I wonder between Bellagio, Stresa and Varenna. They all look beautiful. But sadly I am going to need to narrow it down to one or two of these. Bergamo also looked interesting, as did Alba, and Pienza vs Volterra. We know we need to narrow our focus down, there is just so much to choose from. Is Turin have a big city?
I wasn't a particular fan of Positano. Liked it for a day, but no more. How difficult is it to get between Varenna and Stresa? Varenna to Bellagio looks easy enough as it does to Bergamo. We like to minimize distance of travel if possible between locations. All of this territory is new to us hence all the research and questions. Santa Margherita looks lovely as well. Also look for any hotel recommendations with nice views, as this could also determine where we end up. I am sure we are going to have many more questions and posts as time goes on, but you have all given us some awesome suggestions to start with or re-visit.

Hi JR, I’ve been to Bellagio, Stresa and Varenna. We stayed in Varenna for two nights with the RS Best of Italy trip and took the short ferry over to Bellagio. I’ve stayed at Stresa a couple of times and had planned to be there again last August but ended up canceling that trip.

If you decide on Stresa, my favorite hotel is staying the last night in Stresa on the tiny island of Isola Bella. The small boutique hotel that also has a restaurant is Elvezia Boutique Hotel. I like to be active, also, so I wouldn’t want to stay there all three nights, but it’s such a wonderful ambiance with the corner room that looks towards Stresa & also Isola Pescatori views.

The 5 Cinque Terre towns plus Portovenere.

The "orange flag" towns and villages, especially in Tuscany.

Castle wineries in the Chianti area, in particular in the area of Radda in Chianti.

Mid-lake towns on Lake Como, also ride the ferry all the way to the northern tip of the lake beneath the snow-capped mountains.

Stresa, and the Borromean Islands in Lake Maggiore.

to paraphrase the old saying, 'go south...', way south. sicily. my 28 day trip to the island in summer was unforgettable. sicily is italy but also feels like a country with its own identity. which of course it was for a long time. where else can you see greek, roman, arab, norman, spanish, and a few other cultures, all mixed up and produce something that overwhelms the senses, from the architecture to the faces of the people? Just a few examples: The greek sites in agrigento, segesta and salinunte (missed it this time) are in a better state of preservation than anywhere else. villa romana del casale near piazza armanina is breathtaking for its roman mosaic, the most extensive and well preserved in the world. the hilltop town of erice near trapani, with its narrow cobblestone streets and stone buildings, takes you back hundreds of years with minimal modern additions. palermo of course, with its multiple norman & baroque churches and palaces, the pasta con sarde at the balaro street market-i can still taste it in my mouth! nearby cefalu & monreale cathedrals and the capella palatina for more mosaic. south and east you have catania and suracusa/ortiga and not but least the baroque towns of ragusa, notto, modica, scicli & piazza armanina. there's more that i didn't get to visit. thing is, there's baroque, and then there's sicilian baroque! mount etna of course looms over the entire region, especially catania. you can visit the many towns at its base.

i could go on. the most delightful surprises were randazzo (black lava stone churches-one of the etna towns) and mazara del vallo (close to trapani) with its whimsical tiled street art in casbah district. slight disappointments were caltagirone and trapani itself. i know you said you are not into museums but if you like art don't miss the caravaggios and antonello de messinas in palermo, siracus and mesinna. lastly but not least i have to say the sicilian people are some the of the warmest, most helpful i have met on my journeys. i hardly speak any italian but that didn't stop them from going out of the way to point me in the right direction. oh by the way, i did the entire trip on foot, bus and train. i made the lucky choice to go during a brief window the world seemed to get back to sanity. no matter when or where you go enjoy, and good luck!

Since you have to narrow it down choose one lake and the most convenient to get to and from. Stresa is closer to Malpensa airport and takes 2h by train but requires a connection. Varenna takes 2h 15m and also requires a change. Driving between Varenna and Stresa takes more than 2h 15m and then you have to find a place to park, etc.

Is Turin a big city?

Turin is an old big industrial city. I’ve been multiple times and once spent the night and don’t see what the big draw is. Although I ate the best spinach sandwich there that I ever had. I did like Milan though.

Easiest way to travel between Stresa and Malpensa is by bus
https://www.safduemila.com/linee/alibus-malpensa-lago-maggiore/

If you are in southern France why not Sardina and Corsica? You can fly from Nice.

Look at regions of Italy that aren't on the usual American tourist radar.

Piemonte has already been mentioned. Look also at Emilia-Romagna - Bologna, Parma, Ravenna, Ferrara, Modena, and more all await. Then there's the places in Lombardia outside Milan - Bergamo, Cremona, Mantova, etc. And the places in the Veneto outside Venice and the lagoon - Padova, Treviso, etc.

Sicily is a great idea too, and is a vacation in itself (takes several weeks to see, even at a fast pace, unless you skip parts of the island, which I had to do since I only had 10 nights). And while Tuscany is more famous, next door Umbria has great places too - Spoleto, Spello, Perugia, Norcia.

I am only mentioning regions and cities I have personally visited - there are other less visited regions, and plenty of other places in the regions I mentioned.

And just to show that everyone reacts to places differently, I really liked Turin - it's so different from other Italian cities, and the center is small and readily walkable. I also had some fabulous food there, and the desserts are notably better than in other regions of the country (I love Italian food, but the desserts are not usually as special - Turin was an exception). On the other hand, I really didn't like Bologna. I know everyone else adores it, but it did little for me. So, you never know how you'll feel about a place until you actually see it for yourself.

I haven't been to Turin yet but have researched it for a trip. It is known for Art Nouveau architecture, which I really like, and it has many interesting-sounding museums. It get blessedly few non-Italian tourists.

Coming from France, I would say train to Genoa then continue down the coast..Rapallo, Chiavari, Santa Margherita, Viareggio....so many lovely towns. And also, easy to stay and day trip into the Cinque Terre towns. CT has definitely been "discovered" and gets super crowded now but worth a look. Could be a good day trip for a bit of a hike depending on trail access. Boat trips in the area are great to see the towns from the water as well. I found Portofino underwhelming...Trains are easy to navigate all the way down the coast...can be a bit pokey since the faster trains do not run along the coast but the scenery between towns is breathtaking. enjoy your journey!

My gosh go to Pulia now while you can still see it before it gets over run as every year it is getting more well known.

If not Pulia then the other easy choice is Sicily. What a fantastic place to go to for someone who has been to Italy many times. It will be like going to Italy for the first time.

We went to Abruzzo in 2019, it is one of the least known region of Italy, at just 2h from Rome.
We got to know it only because of dual citizenship, and we found living relatives there.

My husband and I are planning to retire there! The FOOD is amazing, people are nice although they wont' speak english at all, the mountains are near the sea and there are many historical towns.
My husband is a wine expert and he discovered some excellent wineries there, thanks to a tour with a sweet local guide Marino, he runs culinary tours in Abruzzo at https://www.experiencebellavita.com/

Good luck with your travel, we hope to be back to Italy in 2023

We really enjoyed a trip that included:

Turin,

Neive,

La Morra,

Noli, and

Camogli (with a day trip to Genoa - there are many other daytrip possibilities as well).

What Harold wrote is so true! I was reviewing your answers this morning, and this sounded like I wrote it! I would enjoy returning to Turin on a subsequent trip to spend more time there….and agree with his comment on Bologna. Hoping 2022 is the year to return to Italy!

“ And just to show that everyone reacts to places differently, I really liked Turin - it's so different from other Italian cities, and the center is small and readily walkable. I also had some fabulous food there, and the desserts are notably better than in other regions of the country (I love Italian food, but the desserts are not usually as special - Turin was an exception). On the other hand, I really didn't like Bologna. I know everyone else adores it, but it did little for me. So, you never know how you'll feel about a place until you actually see it for yourself.”