On Tue, 04 Sep 2012 07:58:51 +1000, John John >
wrote:



>
>Or avoid tourist traps like Venice and Florence altogether and go to
>... and ... instead.
>
>(Fill in names of towns we've all never heard of.)
>
>John

You have to see those cities at least once though. Yes, there are
plenty of tourist places, but just around the corner are some great
places the locals frequent.

Then you head out to the small towns. Best to rent a villa for a week
or two and explore. We've always been welcomed and treated well by
the locals.