Most world travelers are familiar with the popular and often over-touristed cities in Italy such as Rome, Florence, Milan, and Naples, but there are lesser-known locales found on the Italian Riviera and in the Lake Como area that offer equally authentic experiences in Italian food, art, and cultural history. Here’s how to plan your dream Italian holiday to three towns in Northwest Italy—without the crowds.

Rapallo: The art of relaxation on the Italian Riviera
Situated on the coast of the Ligurian Sea just south of Genoa and north of Cinque Terre, Rapallo is known for its temperate winters and leisurely Ligurian lifestyle. This Italian Riviera town of 30,000 residents has been a haven for numerous artists, writers, and poets such as Ernest Hemingway, W.B. Yeats, Ezra Pound, Robert Lowell, Friedrich Nietzsche, Max Beerbohm, and Finnish composer Jean Sibelius.