Near Canterbury, I also spent time hiking along Beachy Head and the Seven Sisters (a less famous but drastically more pleasurable stretch of white cliffs than Dover’s) explored the characteristic Sissinghurst Gardens took a day off in the English beach resort of Brighton and toured the sprawling and fascinating Hampton Court Palace, infused with vivid memories of Henry VIII. Even just a few steps off High Street took me to areas that have never seen a tourist. I loved simply wandering Canterbury’s back streets, following its idyllic river, discovering lush parks, ogling its tidy brick row houses mixed in with tipsy Tudor black-and-white half-timbered homes. But many of them are day trippers, and most never leave that compact core of town. Of course, Canterbury is not entirely “undiscovered.” The knot of half-timbered streets ringing its cathedral and its bustling High Street are packed with visitors. And second, English majors know the town for its role in Geoffrey Chaucer’s 14th-century Canterbury Tales, in which a ragtag assortment of pilgrims swap tall tales and parables on their journey to that famous church. And, much as I love London, this trip reminded me that Canterbury is one of my favorite places in the UK.Ĭanterbury is best known for two things: First, its cathedral is the seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury, who leads the Church of England. But there’s a steep drop-off in traffic when it comes to a town like Canterbury, where I retreated after two exhausting weeks of guidebook research in London. With more time, they add some “second-rate” destinations - Bath, York, the Cotswolds, and so on. In England, everyone wants to go to “first-rate” London. I left Arezzo re-energized - and ready to plunge into Rome. But mostly, I savored simply being alone in Italy…wandering all by myself through colorful and cobbled back lanes having a memorable lunch at the town’s foodie splurge restaurant, just dropping in without a reservation discovering a world-class neighborhood gelato shop and browsing antiques alongside Tuscans furnishing their homes rather than tourists seeking souvenirs.

Arezzo has two: It’s home to a thriving weekend antiques market and its Basilica of San Francesco is slathered with colorful frescoes by Piero della Francesca. I love the endearing way that smaller cities have their own idiosyncratic claims to fame, which swell their residents’ pride.

And I got exactly what I was looking for. I was here on the recommendation of an Italian friend, specifically to take a day off from the busy tourist towns I was visiting elsewhere in Italy: Assisi, Rome, and so on. It’s a midsize town that’s not included in our Rick Steves’ Italy guidebook - even with 1,250 pages of coverage, Arezzo doesn’t make the cut.

I had this revelation when I spent a sleepy, rainy Saturday in the Tuscan town of Arezzo.

But even once you get beyond those top tiers, Italy is rich with rewarding destinations. With more time, they add some “second-rate” destinations: Pisa, Assisi, Siena, Milan, and so on. Virtually everyone visiting Italy wants to go to the “first-rate” cities: Rome, Florence, and Venice. And you know something? The experiences I had in Europe’s “third-rate” towns were truly first-rate. But I also mixed in some smaller towns, including ones few travelers have heard of: Arezzo. Last year, I made a swing through what I think of as The Big Three: London, Paris, and Rome. Here’s an idea: Consider going easy on Europe’s top-tier destinations, and instead check out some lesser-known places. As you plan your 2020 travels, you may be looking to escape your fellow travelers. Europe is crowded - especially its big, famous sights.

Dordogne valley geologic map