I am also mostly doing my travels alone. I want to spend a week or two in Italy and haven't been there yet. Anybody have any specific recommendations for a route besides the usual touristy destinations (Rome, Venice, Florence - I'll do at least one of those, but want to see some more authentic Italy). How much Italian do I need?

I think most of Italy, particularly during the summer is pretty touristy but you might want to check out Cinca Terra. It's five little villages on the Northern coast that you can walk between.

I've split this off from the main thread, since women traveling alone have different concerns and needs than guys usually do.

Well, you can't get more authentic than Rome, Venice, and Florence! (says a real Italian)

Those cities are famous for a reason. They get lots of tourists for a reason.

Hint: it is not the food.

But they are some of the most beautiful cities on the planet, truly. Not to mention the milleniums of cultural heritage (ruins, architecture, world class museums--you don't want to miss the Uffizi gallery, for instance). Rent a scooter in Rome and visit the catacombs, then have dinner at the trendy Trastevere, visit a glass-blowing factory in Murano---now you see why it draws so many visitors?.

Anyway, if you want to get off the beaten path, I would suggest a day or two doing Naples with a day trip to the island of Capri. Naples gets bad rap but I really like the city. Plus there is Pompeii and Herculaneum nearby, which are fun to visit if you're into the Roman history stuff.

Skip Pisa. That one really IS overrrated.

Do not skip Rome, Florence or Venice if you can help it.

Milano can be skipped too, in my opinion.

Siena (near Florence) can be interesting too, but it gets unbearably crowded around the days of il Palio, which are sometime in July or August, if I remember correctly.

The area near the northern lakes (Como, Lago Maggiore, Lago di Garda) can be charming too and are not too far from Switz. (they tend to fill up with German tourists, though)

Have a fun trip!

Florence, for a week, no hesitation. Take the sleeper train, arrive at 7am as the city stirs into life, dump your bags at a hotel and go out for breakfast. Meander around to the Uffizi and see the place in the morning, whirlwind style, to orientate yourself for the next day when you return.

Eat like a king. Hang out in the Piazzas with the sunglasses vendors and pigeons, backpackers and locals. Oh lucky, lucky you. Hire a bicycle and roam the surrounding hills. Visit the palaces, gardens...eat...drink... did I mention eating?

Or go to Sicily, but you'll need Italian.

I've just come back from a long weekend camping in Lake Garda (not literally ) anyway can highly recomend it, it was a beautiful place and not too busy being June. We stayed in a small town called Limone sur Garda which was beautiful and not busy with tourists, we also visited Verona which was about an hours drive away which was as to be expected, stunning then drove back through the Alto Adige region into austria and then back in to Switzerland.

Anyway I can highly recommed visiting this area along with the other lakes and as someone else mentioned its not too far from Switzerland

Nicky