I said Italy was overcrowded and overpriced. Then I went back

History books, Hollywood movies and television food programs invariably tell us that Italy is wonderful, and reinforce an image of Renaissance wonders, Vespa rides and fantastic food.

Our cultural bias is extreme. Hardly a day goes by when a documentary about Hitler is not running on television. Mussolini? Not so much. And when was the last time a chef appeared in soft focus to talk up German cuisine?

Roma… not a bench or a public toilet to be found.Credit: Getty Images

Cultural conditioning and good PR brainwashes us into thinking of Italy as a peak travel experience. In 2023 it was my disappointment with impossible-to-meet expectations that caused me to write about why I was done with Italy.

Recently, however, I knew I’d be disembarking off a cruise in Civitavecchia near Rome. I’d be in the land of the dolce vita, great art and pretty piazzas, right? SBS tells me Italy is fabulous. So does Netflix. So do all travel writers ever. I knew I couldn’t just leave without a stay in Italy.

Italy’s problems haven’t gone away. Central Rome is leached of local life and crammed with tourists. It’s still blighted with bad restaurants making inflated profits from flabby pizzas.

I didn’t see a public toilet or public bench anywhere despite the €200 billion ($327 billion) a year Italy makes from tourism, although Romans complain about tourists sitting on church steps and fountain rims.

But every country has its irritations and, if I’m irritated, perhaps there was something I could do about it. I had to navigate Italy with my thinking cap on, and try to get on with as many local experiences as I could.

In Rome, that meant finding a hotel both conveniently located and family-run. Hotel Hassler Roma proved the perfect choice. It has old-world charm but the latest youthful generation of owners – twin siblings – are taking it into the 21st century.

Hotel Hassler is one of the city’s last independent luxury hotels, and right on top of the Spanish Steps. I knew I had a haven after a big day’s sightseeing. I could nip out in the early mornings and evenings after tour groups had departed.

I could tap into the concierge’s local knowledge. Places to walk without having to battle the tour groups? Yes. Recommendations for proper restaurants where Romans eat? Tick.

When I couldn’t be bothered to eat out, my terrace had views of Rome and the Vatican for a panoramic picnic, with quality prosciutto and prosecco from a nearby supermarket. Upgrading your hotel and price-cutting elsewhere is sometimes wise.

Souvenir shopping in Orvieto.Credit: Getty Images

Informed choices are a must in any destination that has issues of tourist overcrowding and creaking infrastructure. With a week to spare behind the wheel of a hire car after Rome, that meant avoiding Tuscany and Venice and opting for Umbria.

Umbria has its problems, too. Its roads and motorways are cracked, patched and uneven. I wasn’t breezing along a country road in a red sports car beside a movie starlet. I was lurching along highways surrounded by trucks, terrified my rear wheel was going to come off in an unanticipated pothole.

And Umbria, while less visited than some parts of Italy, is hardly crowd or rip-off free. Orvieto’s old town barely hangs on to its old-time shops and eateries. I got a terrible and expensive meal in Assisi. I knew it was going to be terrible, but I needed the energy boost – and somewhere to sit.

Basilica Superiore di San Francesco in Assisi.

The knowing helps dampen some of the annoyance, but good planning makes for a better visit. In Assisi, the church associated with St Francis is glorious, and all I needed to see in a town subsumed by tourists.

There are places to linger in Umbria. I spent an afternoon in Todi and saw only a handful of other tourists, even though this medieval town has a hilltop location and fine architecture.

Todi, an Italian medieval town at sunset.Credit: Getty Images

Gubbio was quiet, too, and as dense in old buildings as anywhere in Tuscany. Like Todi, it still had proper family restaurants for a fine meal, served by agreeable waiters not yet schooled in indifference.

I got over the horizon from the obvious in Umbria and my experience was better for it. Visitors should carry some blame if all they have is a bad time. That doesn’t let Italy off the hook, however.

Tourism isn’t about people making random, spontaneous decisions. It’s a highly regulated industry in which tourist choices are controlled, directed and managed. All levels of government policies on everything from budget airlines to Airbnb and whether to facilitate Netflix filming influence where people go and what they do.

What’s more, towns generally become over-touristed because they have nothing else to rely on: alternative businesses and opportunities have gone. That’s why Perugia gets a big thumbs up. Its old town is superb and culture-dense, but this university and manufacturing town hasn’t sold its soul to tourism.

The Italian government is aware of the problem. In interviews, Italian tourism minister Daniela Santanche has said Italy needs to focus on better quality, sustainability and organisation, and encourage tourists to come year-round and visit Italy’s smaller towns.

Wise words. But while you’re waiting for Italian governments to solve problems, you might use those guidelines yourself the next time you plan a trip to Italy. It will give you a much better experience.