Originally Posted by davester

It's not that Italy is overrun by tourists, it's just that the areas that the guidebooks direct everyone to are overrun by tourists (and this goes especially for the Rick Steves guides). I have a close Italian friend who lives in Bologna and always tells me "Dave, Dave, don't go to the big famous places. Instead go to the out of the way places. They are just as good and don't have the crowds of visitors". That said, I have been to a number of the big famous places (Pompeii, Positano, Florence, Cinque Terra) and they are beautiful and brimming with art. However, I have had much more fun touring through the countryside and visiting small out of the way villages and towns.