Europe is flush with tourists and tourism, so finding a great destination without crowds is difficult. To minimize the overflow problem, this shoulder season is the best time to visit one of my favorite Italian cities, one that offers heart-stirring architecture, swish accommodations, and the real Romeo & Juliet house (sorry, Verona).

Vicenza, in the northeastern Italian province of Veneto, is filled with pleasures of many kinds, and with far fewer crowds than nearby Venice and Verona. Check out the city and its environs as a still somewhat undiscovered, underappreciated area.