James Joyce statue in Trieste, Italy.Public Domain / Flickr, Marco Polimeni Archive

Irish writer James Joyce famously hated to travel, so getting him to venture further than a local Oseteria was something only the most skilled writers could accomplish, and that's how, in June 1920, American poet Ezra Pound eventually prevailed. 

Writing to Joyce from the gorgeous lakeside town of Sirmione in northern Italy, Pound enthused about the remarkably blue water of the lake: “I never found (water) that was exactly the same shade of blue of Lake Garda except in the cave of Capri, where the entrance works as a lens and sheds light underwater.”

The blue of the Greek flag. The blue of Lake Garda. The blue of the cover of "Ulysses." The color blue held deep personal significance for Joyce, and walking by the same blue lake nowadays, you'll see what the Irish writer once saw and loved about the place over a century ago: that otherworldly blue-white shimmer.

Pound threw in the Roman era ruins of the Grottos of Catullus to sweeten the deal. The name given to the remains of an epic villa built between at end of the 1st century BC, it's located at the very end of the Sirmione peninsula, a sweet spot that catches the air and light and that has captivated filmmakers for decades, appearing most recently in Luca Guadagnino's award winning film "Call Me By Your Name."

Joyce arrived by train to the gorgeous nearby town of Desenzano on June 8, 1920, with his sullen 15-year-old son Giorgio in tow, but even two people as famously disdainful of travel must have felt that they'd made the right choice. 

The stunning Grottoes of Catullus shows off Lake Garda to its best advantage.

Lake Garda is the glamorous twin of its more famous Lombardy cousin Lake Como, but it comes without all the day trippers, tour buses, and selfie-stick-brandishing tourist hordes. So if you want to strike a better balance between untrammeled Italian beauty spots and affordability, this is the place – offering all the charm of Italy without the giant crowds and long lines. 

This June, 105 years after Joyce's visit, I arrived in Desenzano to walk in Joyce's footsteps and to enjoy the magical Opera Festival that's hosted in nearby historic Brescia, a city creating serious buzz as a hidden gem Italian tourist destination.

But I didn't need a letter from Ezra Pound to compel me; just my own shared love of opera music and Italian festivals was enough to make me intrigued.

The famous Grottoes of Catullus have been a sought after film location for decades.

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Named Brixia at its founding 3,200 years ago by the Romans, modern-day Brescia – Milan is the closest airport - offers more Unesco World Heritage sites per square mile than anywhere else in Northern Italy, from the prehistoric through the Romans and Renaissance. It's a ground zero for history lovers, in other words. 

Did you know the astoundingly well-preserved Roman antiquities of Brescia include the Capitolium, a Roman temple, a Roman Forum, and a Roman theater, making them the largest Roman archaeological area in all of northern Italy? Before this magical trip to this layer cake of history in one city, I freely admit I didn't. 

The Brescia Opera Festival concludes in the stunning setting of the Roman forum.

Brescia's unmissable Opera Festival is free and offers performances as varied as a sunrise concert (highlights included "When I Am Laid In Earth" from Purcell's "Dido and Aeneas") to flash mob arias performed on the city streets and balconies, to a quick and dirty excerpt of "Don Giovanni" performed in a bedroom suite of the local grand Hotel Vittoria, reaching the locals where they live and bringing the power of art and song to the streets. 

Marvelously, the steps of the ancient Roman forum were used to stage the grand finale opera concert, but this time with a full orchestra and a magical selection of arias including Verdi, Bellini, and Mozart. I still get the chills thinking of how beautiful – and how quintessentially Italian – that incomparable night was. 

The theme of this year's opera festival was Freedom and Justice, honoring Italy’s liberation from foreign occupation 80 years ago, and that sublime music reminded us of the power of art to heal even the most enduring wounds.

Another true highlight of the visit – and the reason you should make plans to visit yourself - is the spectacular and sprawling Santa Giulia Museum, one of the finest museums in Italy. Taking you on a journey from prehistoric times to the present day, it's built on the grounds of the 753 AD women's monastery and alongside the 16th century church of Santa Giulia and its cloisters.

Frescoes at the Roman Archeological Area of the museum of Santa Giulia .

This being Italy, there is also the striking Roman Archeological Area, which features frescoes so vivid they might have been painted that morning. 

Until my visit, I have never encountered Roman antiquities that are so well preserved that you are brought into almost real time encounter with the ancient world, but that's what happens when you gaze at artifacts like the extraordinary bronze statue of Winged Victory, part of the original decorations from the nearby temple dedicated to Jupiter, Juno and Minerva. 

But there's much more to this city than its remarkable Roman history or its free opera music festivals. The dining scene is one of the best in Italy, and venues like Osteria Del Savio prepare fresh and locally sourced dishes (with vegetarian and gluten-free options) in a cozy setting that features original late Roman columns rising straight through the main dining room.

The blue of Lake Garda impressed James Joyce and his friend Ezra Pound.

Other dining standouts include Osteria La Grotta, the Platonic ideal of a typical Brescian osteria. Offering hearty fare, a well-stocked wine list, and delicious homemade desserts at fair prices, this is the kind of value offering tourists will marvel still exists in Italy. 

On the higher end, Ristorante Vivace, a Michelin guide venue, is a captivating and creative place to indulge the senses with food and wine options prepared by inspired chefs who want to take you on a gastronomic adventure. 

A short drive away from the city is the spectacular Conti Thun Wine Resort (and olive oil grower/maker). It's fascinating to tour the extensive and beautifully situated Umbrian grove and winery to hear about its history and then enjoy an unforgettable lunch featuring the wines and olive oils grown on site.

Plates of meat and cheese arrive at the superb Conti Thun report.

Resort goers are particularly well catered for in the Brescia region with golfing destinations like the gorgeous Chervò Golf Hotel Spa and Resort San Vigilio, a 4-star Hotel Spa and Resort in a rolling green oasis located between Sirmione and Desenzano del Garda. 

For another delicious lunchtime suggestion, I would recommend the Torre d'Ercole, a hipster hangout that combines good food and good vibes. With outdoor dining across the venue itself, it's a secluded local spot that will make you feel like a local. 

As overcrowding becomes a growing issue across Europe's tourism sector, the worst offenders are becoming synonymous with over-tourism. To be Portofinoed has now come to mean a vacation spot so overpacked with visitors that it loses its charm. But there is no danger of this happening in Brescia or along the little towns along Lake Garda and its environs anytime soon.

The lush vine groves of the Conti Thun report in Italy.

Getting there is made easy through the Italian-owned Neos Air, an airline I found comfortable and roomy on the long flight, with daily departures from JFK.

If you love Italy but are as allergic to the business of travel and crowds as Joyce was, may I suggest you consider Brescia and its hinterlands for your next trip? It has everything that makes Italy the world's favorite vacation destination, but here you won't have to fight for a quiet spot to take a good picture.

In this gorgeous but still under-the-radar part of northern Italy, you'll have all of its beauty and glorious history almost to yourself. What are you waiting for? Even Joyce loved it.