Lecce, beautiful city much less touristy than Milan, Florence, Rome. What are your recommendations for "less known" European cities that are sometimes more enjoyable than the famous ones?

I love spending time in Bologna. Not as touristy as the cities you quoted, beautiful, perfectly placed on the frecciarossa line. And the food, of course the food ❤️

Arles was one I was positively surprised by. Really pleasant and interesting city with lots to see.

In France I really enjoyed Toulouse. A city with a young vibe. Not overly touristy, good food and some excellent museums.

I really loved Bari. It's bustling but not overcrowded, by the sea and imo quite beautiful!

Whenever I hear the name Lecce I think of a good friend I made who comes from there, but I also think of this.

Sadly there was the WW2. Many buildings were destroyed and never rebuilt.

From my place (Poland), I can recommend Lębork, Malbork, Toruń.

My wife and I have this thing, we have a list that has a food or drink named after it. Would highly recommend Gouda, but only as a day trip. Not really much to it, the cheese museum is fun. My wife is lactose intolerant and she even enjoyed it.

Utrecht and Leiden come to mind for The Netherlands. Sure, there is tourism, but not even close to the number in Amsterdam, and both cities also have beautiful canals and other sightseeing spots.

As for outside of NL, Cahor in France is also beautiful, both the city itself and the surrounding area. Great for hikes!

Been to Annecy not long ago. It's in France, but not far from Geneva, beautifully located between the first foothills of the Alps and the Rhone Valley. The city itself is walkable and I've had the best lemonade there (by Les Brasseurs Savoyards, if anyone is interested to try).

If I was american i would say it needs a raised motorway over the square and the square needs to be sold to private land owners who will let the stonework rot away because maintenance is too expensive