(MONEY Magazine) – No matter where I go, Italy never leaves me. Whether I'm at a crowded party or at dinner with friends, it always comes up. This doesn't happen by coincidence. I was born in Rome and am an Italian citizen. I speak the language fluently and keep up with friends and family who live in Italy. I've spent many vacations there and still return about once a year, so I've seen a good part of the country, from the snow-covered Alps to the sunny beaches of Sicily. It's no wonder that Italy always comes into conversation.

I find, though, that people usually ask me about the most popular destinations--Florence, Rome and Venice. It's not surprising. These cities are unique and extraordinarily beautiful, and certainly worth visiting. But they're places where commercialism has run rampant, where crowds dominate and mediocre meals are commonplace.

That's why I like to talk about the other Italy: the cities, towns and countryside that offer a truly authentic Italian experience. Over the next several pages, I'll introduce you to some of these places. Culled from friends, family and my own journeys, these destinations offer an unparalleled opportunity to savor Italy's great richness--its art and architecture, its natural beauty and its true spirit--without the crowds and hassles of the major tourist spots.

For those who want to see a vibrant big city, I recommend Bologna, a medieval capital with beautiful churches, amazing art, distinctive cuisine and few modern-day distractions. On a more intimate scale, there's the small, inviting city of Lucca. If you like the countryside, see the Marches region with its majestic national park. For an island vacation, Pantelleria, off the Sicilian coast, is great for sunning and hiking.

For each spot, I'll suggest places that you won't necessarily find in guidebooks, as well as the more popular attractions and some moderately priced hotels and restaurants that best exemplify each locale. (To phone Italy from the U.S., dial 011-39 before the number.) To truly explore each place, plan on devoting a week.

By the way, this is a great time to see Italy. Summer is always busy, but fewer visitors are expected this year, since many made pilgrimages in 2000 for the Catholic jubilee. The dollar remains strong. And you'll be beating the crush to these locations, which are slowly being discovered by travel agents.

So go--and enjoy.

BIG CITY BOLOGNA

For years, my friends from Bologna would rave about their city. They described it as an untouched treasure, a city that hadn't, like Florence, sold out to modern-day commercial distractions such as neon signs, flashy advertisements, noisy tour buses and fast-food restaurants. Bologna had the greatest art, the most fascinating churches and the best food in the country, they claimed. And all of this was squeezed into an area the size of Florence. Given their bias, I found their bragging hard to believe. Until I went there.

Located an hour to the north of Florence and an hour southwest of Venice, Bologna is everything my friends said and more. Much of the city's luster comes from its roots as a university town. The University of Bologna, the oldest in Europe, was founded in 1088, and it attracted intellectuals from all over the world, including Copernicus, Dante and Petrarch. They were joined by artists--including Annibale Carracci, Guercino, and Guido Reni--as well as craftsmen who descended on the city and built a community around the institution.

Over the years, beautiful palazzi and churches like the massive Gothic Basilica of San Petronio were built. Today many of those buildings are still found in Bologna's center, one of the best preserved in Italy. Of the more than 200 towers that were built by noble families as displays of wealth and power, the most famous and impressive are the 318-foot-tall Torre degli Asinelli and the nearby 154-foot Torre della Garisenda, which are the tallest structures in the city. You can climb to the top of the Asinelli for a panoramic view of Bologna.

It's easy to take in the sights since much of the city's center is closed to traffic. And almost everywhere you go, the sidewalks are covered by porticos. Originally built to encourage people to walk and ruminate, today they cover 21 miles of sidewalk, offering shelter and an easy way to take in some neat architecture.

A must-see is the main square, Piazza Maggiore, which is embraced by several Renaissance palazzi, one of which serves as the city hall. Take a peek next door at San Petronio, the cathedral built in 1390 to celebrate the victory of the people of Bologna over the Florentine people and the Pope. Stop at the nearby Pinacoteca Nazionale museum (Via Belle Arti 56; 051-243222), which houses Guido Reni's Massacre of the Innocents, a masterpiece of the Baroque painter.

Also consider some lesser-known sights. Built over several centuries, the church of Santo Stefano (Via S. Stefano 24) is one of the most unusual churches in the world. From the outside, it looks like an ordinary Romanesque church. But step inside and you'll find four churches constructed in different periods, side by side. The oldest, the fifth-century Church of San Sepolcro, is modeled after the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. The most recent, the eighth-century Church of the Crocifisso, is small and bare.

Another interesting, albeit macabre, sight that's worth checking out is Santa Caterina, wryly dubbed the desiccated saint by the Bolognese. Found in the Monastery of Corpus Domini (Via Tagliapietre 23; 051-331274), the mummified saint, who died in 1463, is worthwhile not only for the magnificent preservation of her body but also for the eerie shrine of candles and drapes that surround her.

You wouldn't know it from walking around the city, but Bologna is built on rivers and canals. Indeed, it was once called Little Venice. Most of the water has been covered since the 15th century for reasons of hygiene. But there are some points around the city where you can still visit Roman aqueducts and see ancient canals flowing. To see one of the original canals outdoors, go to Via Riva di Reno (20 feet from where it intersects with Via Marconi). To tour the underground canals, contact the Associazione Amici delle vie d'Acqua e dei Sotterranei di Bologna (051-522401).

Apart from all there is to see and do, Bologna is Italy's undisputed gastronomic capital. The town is renowned for is classic egg pasta. In other parts of Italy, fresh pasta is typically made with the whole egg, which produces a more dense pasta. In Bologna, cooks use just the yolks, and the end result is very thin, airy and delicate. Several pastas that originate from Bologna, including tortellini and tagliatelle, are typically served alla panna (with a rich cream sauce) or alla Bolognese (with a hearty meat sauce) and topped with generous helpings of Parmesan. That might seem like a lot of heavy food, but take heart: With so many sights and plenty of walking to do, you'll need the carbs.

BEST PLACES

LODGING Hotel Roma (Via D'Azeglio 9; 051-226322) is steps from the city's main square. Doubles: $120

DINING Antica Trattoria della Gigina (Via Stendhal 1; 051-322132)

SMALL TOWN LUCCA

Nestled at the base of Tuscan Hills, Lucca is a little gem where it's easy to experience the essence of small-town Italian life. It's the kind of place where grizzled old men sit in piazzas for hours talking about soccer and where a trip to the market means hopping on your bike for a ride to the produce stand. Lucca is Italy at a slower pace, perfect for strolling narrow cobblestone streets, exploring a vast array of churches and browsing in shops that sell handmade goods.

Roughly 45 miles west of Florence, Lucca was a large commercial center during the Middle Ages. Bankers flocked there, but so did artisans, and their influence on the city is still felt to this day. Lucca has scores of small shops that carry jewelry, clothes and leather bags made by area residents. Commerce also led the community to build more than 100 churches--yes, 100--in the city. And discovering them is a sheer joy. More on that in a bit.

The first thing that you will notice when approaching the city is its walls. At one point almost every major Italian city had walls to protect against invading armies. But these days, most cities can point to only a small portion of their original walls or to a leftover gate. Lucca's remain intact. Built in the 16th century, they're considered the best-preserved Renaissance ramparts in Europe. Measuring 115 feet wide at the base, 60 feet wide at the top and 40 feet high, they're great for strolling and people watching. As a kid, I used to kick a soccer ball around with my cousins and ride my bike on the 2 1/2-mile, tree-lined path atop the walls. Today, exploring the full path, which offers spectacular views of the city, takes roughly an hour by foot and 20 minutes by bike. Take the time. You won't regret it.

Of the many churches inside the city's walls, two of the largest shouldn't be missed. The cathedral of San Martino (Piazza San Martino) houses the recently restored tomb of Ilaria del Carretto Guinigi. This exquisite white marble tomb, by Sienese sculptor Jacopo della Quercia, depicts the daughter of a prominent politician of Lucca with her dog at her feet. The subtle features, like the silky folds of her dress created with pure white marble, are an incredible sight. So too is the Romanesque church of San Michele in Foro (Piazza San Michele). Built on the original site of a Roman forum, it has an extravagant facade with soaring arches and a variety of twisted columns that stands taller than the building itself. Composer Giacomo Puccini, who was born in Lucca, sang here in the choir.

Puccini gives this town a rich musical tradition. In fact, you can visit the house in which he was born at Corte San Lorenzo 9 (0583-584028). It features his original sheet music, letters and the Steinway piano on which he composed Turandot, his last opera. If you're in town during the summer and would like to hear Puccini's music in a unique setting, head to Torre del Lago, a 30-minute drive from Lucca. Puccini operas are performed near the maestro's summer villa in an open-air theater overlooking a shimmering lake. This year's season runs from July 20 to Aug. 18, with performances of Turdanot and Tosca (for tickets, call 0584-359322 or go to www .puccinifestival.it).

When you're back in town, stop by some of the older shops. The Pachetti pharmacy on Via Santa Croce is very nice (it's my cousin's). It's also worth taking a peek inside the Gioielleria Carli (Via Fillungo 95; 0583-491119), the oldest jewelry store in town. It's got original 17th-century frescoes on the walls.

If you've worked up an appetite, you're in for a treat, since Lucca has great Tuscan cuisine. Several dishes that have contributed to the city's stellar culinary reputation include tortelli alla lucchese (pasta with olive oil and herbs), rabbit with olives, and farro, a spelt-based polenta. If you're looking for a snack, try Caffe Di Simo (Via Fillungo 58; 0583-467148), an old pastry shop and cafe, for a slice of buccellato, a sweet cake that looks like a big doughnut.

Another plus: This town is a great launching pad. Carrara, the source of the coveted white marble used by sculptors like Michelangelo, is less than an hour away. So are some of the prettiest Tuscan beaches, the Apennine Mountains and Pisa. Sure, these are great places, but I bet you'll never want to leave Lucca.

BEST PLACES

LODGING Piccolo Hotel Puccini (Via di Poggio 9; 0583-55421) is in a 15th-century palazzo facing Puccini's home. Doubles: $70

DINING La Mora (Via Sesto di Moriano 1748; 0583-406402) is great for its rustic feel and gets high ratings from the prestigious Accademia Italiana della Cucina.

COUNTRYSIDE THE MARCHES

Locals from the marches will tell you that the region is often ignored by tourists because it sits on "the other coast"--the Adriatic--not on the popular Mediterranean. Indeed, there's no other reason to explain it. Like Tuscany, this region has plenty of beautiful, medieval towns surrounded by rolling hills with cypress trees dotting the landscape. But unlike its neighbor to the west, the Marches also offers some spectacular natural attractions without the crowds, pollution and tour buses. In fact, it's best discovered by driving. Plan to spend several days exploring the region by using three towns--Camerino, Fabriano and Urbino--as bases for your travels.

CAMERINO This charming old hilltop town's skyline has remained untouched since medieval times. It's a sheer joy to walk its narrow, winding streets and discover the massive fortress--known as Rocca and built in 1503 to defend the western edge of town--which offers a breathtaking view of the Sibilline Mountains. You can get that same view from most of the rooms at the Hotel I Duchi (Via Varino Favorino 72; 0737-630440).

A few miles east is Macerata, where it's worth stopping to see the sferisterio, an oddly shaped, immense arena built in the 1820s as a venue for a jai-alai-like ball game. Today, thanks to its excellent acoustics, it's used for performances of opera and other types of music.

Nature lovers should head south from Camerino to Visso, the best entry point to the National Park of the Sibilline Mountains. Established in 1993, this 270-square-mile park is an unspoiled nature reserve that's a great place to hike and spot wildlife, including wolves and golden eagles. It's also worth visiting Tolentino. Just outside this town is the fabulous Abbey of Chiaravalle di Fiastra. A massive complex that comprises a Benedictine monastery and church, it's the biggest of its kind in the region.

FABRIANO This picturesque medieval town sits right in the middle of the region and happens to be where the paper watermark was invented. Indeed, you can see how watermarks and paper are made at the tiny Museum of Paper (Largo Fratelli Spacca 2; 0732-709297), housed in an old monastery. If you've ever wanted to spend the night in a monastery, now's the time. The 13th-century monastery of Santa Margerita located just outside Fabriano (Via del Poio 33; 0732-21936) welcomes visitors. Payment for a room is by voluntary contribution, which typically runs from $20 to $30 a night.

A 15-minute drive from Fabriano are the caves of Frasassi. Unlike anything else you'll see in Italy, they are a complex underground world of lakes surrounded by stalactites. Guided tours are available several times a day.

URBINO Your final stop must be this town, which was the seat of government of the region's powerful dukes. During the rule of Duke Federico (1442-82), the small city took its present shape: a large palace surrounded by beautiful medieval palazzi. Plan to spend a couple of hours walking around the Ducal Palace; look for The Mute, a curious portrait of a young woman by native son and Renaissance giant Raphael.

By now you might be duked-out. But don't miss nearby Urbania, home to another ducal palace, this one with a library of the dukes of Urbino. Urbania is also a major producer of majolica, the colorful pottery that is prized the world over. These creations are the perfect marriage of simplicity and beauty--like the Marches itself.

BEST PLACES

LODGING Stay at the charming old Hotel Bonconte (Via delle Mura 28, Urbino; 0722-2463). Doubles: $77 to $139

DINING In Serrapetrona, near Camerino, try the local wine at La Cantinella (Piazza Santa Maria; 0733-908112).

SEASIDE PANTELLERIA

Ask travel agents about Italian island vacations, and they'll pull out brochures on Capri, Elba and even Sardinia. While the photos make these places look pristine, they're anything but. That's why my Italian friends have been going to Pantelleria for years. This tiny island in the middle of the Mediterranean, 73 miles southwest of Sicily, is a great place for an exotic getaway. Just an hour and a half by plane from Rome, it's blessed with temperate weather, natural beauty and a distinctive Arab-influenced cuisine.

Pantelleria gets its name from the Arabic bint al-rion, or daughter of the winds, and its strong breezes keep it cool in the summer and most of the year. With an average temperature of 65[degrees]F, it's ideal for hiking and swimming almost year round; you can enjoy a dip here from late April to early November.

Pantelleria is an island of picturesque contrasts. Its unspoiled coast is startling and composed of black, jagged rocks that lead into the blue, crystal-clear sea. Inland, you'll find a wild, mountainous landscape with rich vegetation and soil that's mostly black lava deposited by the island's long-inactive volcanoes.

The best place to begin exploring the isle is on the road from the town of Pantelleria to Sataria. On the way, check out the sesi, large black neolithic funeral mounds of piled rocks with passages leading inside. Some locals suggest that settlers from Tunisia built these structures, but no one knows for sure.

Once in Sataria, you'll find hot springs with a spectacular view of the sea. The springs--which are free and open to the public--contain sulfur-rich fresh water that is said to have curative powers. People swear by them for help with everything from arthritis to skin problems. There are also more of these springs further south, in Punto Nika.

To experience some of Pantelleria's rugged coast, head to the other side of the island. Walk along the coastal road from Gadir to Tracino, which takes about an hour. On one side of the road, you'll have majestic views of the sea. On the other, you'll pass beautiful homes surrounded by stone walls and blackberry bushes. Just past Tracino is an area known as Cala Levante, where you'll find the Elephant Arch, a rock formation that looks like a huge elephant trunk jutting out of the sea. It's one of the island's best swimming spots.

Pantelleria isn't only for sea lovers. There's plenty to see and do away from the coast. Hikers who are looking for a challenge should head to Montagna Grande, the island's main volcano, which last erupted during Neolithic times. To get there, take a bus to the old village of Siba, where you can start your climb. Before your trek, make a stop at the bagno asciutto, a natural sauna in a rock formation that's next to the town. Be careful--it's very hot, so don't spend more than 10 minutes inside. Once on the road to the volcano's peak, you'll be treated to stunning views and a nice surprise: the Stufe di Khazen, volcanic vents that let off steam.

No trip to Pantelleria would be complete without savoring its cuisine, much of which reflects the island's Arab occupation from 800 to 1200. Sample the island's fresh red snapper, which is often served with couscous, a Middle Eastern grain. And give a try to sciakisciuka, a spicy fried vegetable dish that originated in Africa. No matter what, though, don't leave without sampling a dish made with the island's capers, considered the best in Europe.

While Pantelleria may seem remote, getting there is easy. Hydrofoils depart frequently for the island from Trapani, the closest Sicilian port ($45, one way), and there are plenty of flights from Rome and Milan, which can be booked through Alitalia (800-223-5730; www.alitalia.com).

The best and most affordable way to stay is to rent a dammuso, one of the island's distinctive houses. (For details, see "Best Places" above.) These structures--whose name derives from the Latin word for house (domus)--are cubic buildings with domed roofs, originally built in the 1300s to collect water, and thick walls that keep the inside cool in the summer. With so much to do on Pantelleria, though, you'll want to spend your time outdoors.

BEST PLACES

DINING I Mulini in Tracino (Via Kania 12; 0923-915398) is great for fish and pasta.

RENTALS Santa Chiara real estate (0923-911139) rents dammusi starting at $300 a week.