Visit these tourist places in Italy to experience life as the people do.

Editor's note: Travel may be challenging at the moment, but use these imaginative vacation suggestions to organize your upcoming bucket-list excursion.

Staycations are very popular in Italy. Unavoidably, in August, much of the nation goes on vacation to the beach or the mountains. Restaurants close, entire buildings turn on their autoreply messages, and the country takes a deep breath—usually simultaneously, as Italians enjoy nothing more than to spend the month of August lounging in a sun lounger—especially an Italian sun lounger.

However, they do not visit the same locations as tourists do. The Italy of Italian vacations is a different animal from the normal web of art cities and Tuscan hills that attracts tourists. They're out exploring mountain meadows, lounging on untamed beaches, soaking in hot springs, or visiting lesser-known cities while you're there. I'm used to getting away from the throng because I live in Venice. Here are some places to observe Italian tourists.

Tuscia, Italy

This region of northern Lazio, a few hours north of Rome, is named for the ancient Etruscan culture that once flourished there. It has it all: undulating hills, clifftop villages, dazzling lakes, and collapsing badlands. Its most well-known site is the settlement of Civita di Bagnoregio, one of Italy's most lovely Borghi (walled towns). With only 12 permanent residents and perched high on a cliff between three canyons, its mesmerizing beauty can only be reached by crossing a 366-meter bridge. Once past the gates, you can walk along the alleyways constructed during the Renaissance and circle the town's former perimeter, which was much larger before its outside edges fell into the canyon.

Most visitors stay for less than an hour, but you should stop for lunch at Alma Civita, a fantastic modern eatery housed in a cave that the Etruscans carved out more than 2,000 years ago. To experience Civita at night, when it's only you, the deteriorating walls, and a pack of stray cats, spend the night in Locanda Della Buona Ventura. The majestic Palazzo dei Papi in Viterbo and Bolsena, Europe's largest volcanic lake, are both within easy driving distance, making it a fantastic base for exploring the Tuscia region. Years passed before I arrived here. Avoid the same error I did.

Italy's Best Secret Islands
 

March's Urbino
 

One of the great art cities in Italy is Urbino, which spans the hills in the central Marche area and is located just across the Apennine Mountains from Florence. The massive twin-towered Palazzo Ducale, the court of Duke Federico da Montefeltro, one of the major proponents of the Renaissance outside of Florence, is located in the walled brick city. His expansive palace is now a sizable art gallery showing a large portion of his collection, which includes pieces by Raphael, Botticelli, and Piero Della Francesca.

Raphael was born very nearby because his father was Federico's court painter, and you can visit his birthplace to view what is thought to be the artist's very first creation: a frescoed Madonna and Child that was created when he was only 15 years old.

But this place isn't just about the galleries. Today, Urbino is a bustling university town where you can enjoy a Brescia (a lard-moistened flatbread stuffed with anything from chard to ham and cheese) with the students while gazing out over the terra-cotta rooftops and the jumbled hills beyond from the Parco Della Resistenza, a green area below a collapsed medieval castle.

Tuscany's Maremma
 

If you thought Tuscany was only known for its cypress-lined boulevards and art-filled hilltop villages, you need to follow the lead of savvy Romans who spend their weekends along the southern shore of the area, close to the Lazio border. Beaches, stunning canyon-top settlements, and delicious cuisine and drink can all be found here. Hit the beaches of Monte Argentario, an island connected to the mainland by two wide sandbars, if it's summer, or explore Capalbio, a fashionable hill town with a view of the sea. Pitigliano, an hour's drive inland, is perched precipitously on the rim of a canyon, its homes cut directly from the rock. Due to its historical Jewish population that dates back to the 16th century, the town is referred to as Italy's "Little Jerusalem." You can get to Saturnia's breathtaking hot springs by skirting west from Pitigliano around Monte Amiata, the dormant volcano that towers above southern Tuscany. Water gushes down steamy cascades to create natural soaking pools at the Cascate del Mulino. The resort up the road, Terme di Saturnia, has a pool for hotel guests that is a natural crater with water coming up from the source, which is excellent for photos but not where you want to be.

Alpine Peak in South Tyrol
 

Italians have two choices in August: the beach or the mountains. Alpe di Siusi, a region of rippling green meadows, is located higher up in the Dolomites, a mountain range known for its jagged, tooth-like peaks that famously blush pink in the sunset sun. The Adler Lodge Alpe, a gorgeous modern chalet-style hotel built on a hill with an outdoor infinity pool directed right towards the peaks, sits in the heart of it all and is so otherworldly that it feels like a movie set. Take off into the green or follow the sound of cowbells to the nearby mala (mountain farm) for locally made beef, cheese, and kaiserschmarrn pancakes. This is one of the best spots in the Dolomites for intermediate skiers in the winter; more difficult lines may be found on the opposite side of Ortisei, the charming town with German influences at the base of the ski lifts (and location of the Adler Lodge's sister property, Adler Dolomiti).

Puglia's Salento
 

Puglia, the heel of Italy's boot, is a popular tourist destination because of its charming white-stone seaside villages south of Bari and its Trulli—conical stone homes—in the lovely Valle d'Itria. However, if you keep moving south, you'll eventually arrive at the peaceful Salento peninsula, which is the southernmost point. Lecce's main city is renowned for its opulent baroque buildings, but I also adore Nard, which is smaller and less well-kept but just as charming.

Also remarkable is the shoreline. The Zinzulusa Cave, which is full of stalactites and stalagmites, and other natural wonders may be found on the eastern side, which is a stunning roller coaster of prickly pear-topped rocks. The best beaches in Italy are found on the west coast. Pescoluse has two miles of sheer, softly shelving ocean, earning it the nickname "Puglia's Maldives." Additionally, there are numerous beach clubs crowded onto the broad bay of soft sand surrounding the fishing village of Gallipoli in the summer. Don't overlook Punta Prosciutto, which is located further north and features a broad sandbar with a dune backdrop that is lapped by calm, clear waters. The La Fiermontina in Lecce, which is packed with contemporary art and has a garden and pool surrounded by olive trees, is the nicest hotel in the area.

Liguria's Camogli
 

When Portofino is too flashy and the Cinque Terre is too crowded, you need elegant Camogli, the modest beauty of the Ligurian coast. It is the traditional Italian Riviera, with its candy-colored buildings stacked up along the pebbly bay and its towering forested hills providing a backdrop. The grand dame hotel Cenobio Dei Dogi, which has terraces that overhang the ocean and sits on the crystalline gulf, is one location where it's worthwhile to splurge out. Find the colorful trompe l'oeil windows and balconies on the opulent homes, or hike up to the Castello della Dragonara, a 13th-century stronghold overlooking the sea, for a lovely stroll through the town. If you're a diver, dive down to San Fruttuoso Bay's Christ of the Abyss, a statue of Jesus raising his hands from the seafloor. Within a half-hour drive are charming Portofino, Santa Margherita Ligure, and Rapallo, but none transport visitors back in time like Camogli. If you truly love fish, visit during the town's annual Sagra del Pesce (fish festival) in May, when the fisherman cooks a massive fry-up of the day's catch in a huge pan on the waterfront. Don't miss the Michelin-recommended seafood restaurant, Da Paolo.

Friuli Venezia Giulia Trieste
 

The biggest waterfront square in Europe, the city's beaches, and a fairytale castle that is cantilevered over crystal-clear sea can all be found in Trieste. Trieste would be at the top of tourists' wish lists if it were somewhere else. It is ignored nonetheless because it is two hours from Venice.

But as a resident of Venice, this is my refuge. Although Venice feels like a piece of the past, this is a modern city on water, although its solitary canal cannot compete with La Serenissima. Italian only emerged in 1920. It was a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire before that, and that fact is obvious. The largest square, Piazza Unità d'Italia, which looks directly out onto the sparkling Gulf of Trieste, is lined with opulent structures from the Habsburg era. The bone-white Miramare Castle, which protrudes into the water five miles outside of town and was erected by an Austrian archduke, is the city's most well-known landmark. Rococo cafes lining the streets offer strudel and Sacher torte there. When the five-mile stretch of coast to Miramare turns into a rocky beach in the summer and beach clubs open in the city center, it's the ideal location (my favorite is La Lanterna, which is so old-school that there are still separate areas for men and women). The recipe for the ideal weekend includes a Roman amphitheater and another castle with a wine bar on the walls.

Calabria's Capo Vaticano
 

The knobby toe of Italy's boot, Calabria, doesn't receive much attention from tourists from other countries. The Italians, who go here in droves for the unspoiled towns, Amalfi-style coastal roads, and gloomy vistas of Sicily across the ocean, should be grateful.'

However, Capo Vaticano's beaches are what lure most visitors in the summer. They are a collection of sandy coves and sweeps shielded by tall, green-fuzzed cliffs, squaring up against the volcano-island Stromboli, which blasts smoke into the sky nearby. Since they are not well marked, you must travel west from Ricadi and then turn left to discover the beachside campgrounds. If you're in the region, make sure to visit Pizzo, the origin of Tartufo, an iconic Italian dessert made of chocolate and hazelnut gelato balls dipped in melted chocolate and sprinkled with cocoa powder. Tropea, a neighboring town, is also outstanding. Here, a slalom path of winding alleys and ornate palaces abruptly ends at a cliff's edge, beyond which is a rock with a chapel atop it that is connected to the mainland by a little beach.

Pantelleria
 

Italians (as well as A-listers) travel to this oval-shaped island off the southwest coast of Sicily, which is closer to Tunisia than Italy, to escape the rat race. There is poor phone reception, the best dining options are beachside shacks, and traditional dam must, or white-domed, box-shaped homes, are built along the sheer cliff faces in place of high-rise hotels. There isn't much to do here, but that's the whole point. You can reach quaint coves and beaches where warm thermal springs pop up from the ocean floor through the island's main road, which circles the entire island. The only place to find sand is inland at Specchio di Venere, also known as the Mirror of Venus, a turquoise-colored lake with sulfur-rich thermal waters in a former volcanic crater. The other beaches are all stony. Repeatedly smother yourself in muck from the edges, then bask on the sand.

Marche, Macerata
 

Few other countries have rolling hills like Italy, yet locals prefer Le Marche, the middle region on the eastern Adriatic coast, while tourists head straight for Tuscany. It boasts the same number of hilltop towns and untouched scenery as Tuscany and Umbria, but with less tourism. It is located across the Apennine Mountains. Although the area is vast and diverse, my favorite spot for a genuine "Under the Tuscan Sun" vibe is the region surrounding the university city of Macerata. Even Napoleon was mesmerized by the breathtaking views, which include distant mountains covered in snow and terra-cotta cities located atop hills that slope down to the sea. He insisted on staying the night rather than leaving, and you ought to do the same.

It takes a whole day to explore Macerata. The must-see attraction in this region is the Palazzo Buonaccorsi, an antique and modern art collection housed in a glitzy old palace, but for me, the little hilltop towns and the roads that wind through the expansive countryside are what make it so special. Treia is my favorite, but Montappone, Mogliano, and San Severino Marche are also stunning. With the main square that cantilevers over the surrounding countryside, winding alleyways that are perfect for taking pictures, and even a tiny jewel box of a 19th-century theatre, it has a certain Tuscany Montepulciano vibe to it. Consider staying in a B&B surrounded by nature. I frequently visit the stunning La Casa Degli Amori, a bed, and breakfast run by an English couple in the hills outside of Treia. They know how unique the location is since they are new residents, and their recommendations for exclusive museums, intimate olive gardens, and artisan handbag makers always make the trip.