If you want to enjoy Italy away from the crowds, you can often do so by heading to one of the country’s many evocative villages. But if you prefer a more urban setting without having to deal with the tourist throngs in Rome, Florence and Venice, try a lesser-known city destination like the five described below (four have UNESCO World Heritage designation), ranging in location from the Alpine north to Sicily.

Trento. In this flourishing city in northern Italy’s Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol region, medieval meets modern and Italian culture comes with an Austro-Alpine overlay. You can hop from the richly frescoed Buonconsiglio Castle, whose centuries-long construction began in the Middle Ages, to Renzo Piano’s MUSE, a science museum that's home to Alpine nature and glacier exhibits. Visit other starchitect landmarks in the region, such as the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art of Trento and Rovereto (MART) designed by Mario Botta, to see works by leading 20th-century artists like Giorgio Morandi, Giorgio de Chirico and Fortunate Depero, the prominent Futurist painter who grew up in the Trentino.