<i> I think Les Misérables is overrated, too.</i>

Which version--the book, the musical, the movie?

As for caves, no painted cave in the Dordogne can be as impressive as Lascaux II, which is impressive both for the art of reproduction and for the original it reproduces. That is why I recommend Rouffignac as a second cave, which is a different type of cave, and generally has better explanations, which are nonetheless tentative, than Lascaux II. Unfortunately for many tourists, the tours are exclusively in French.

nukesafe...The people we travel with (KIm and Mary) love Les Miz so much, and they also are huge fans of Love Actually (in my opinion, the most contrived movie ever put on film). Fortunately, we all love wine, so we get along on our trips together.

By the way, one underrated place that I do not think has been mentioned is Ljubljana, Slovenia. I was surprised at how much I liked it.

((H))

"I think Les Misérables is overrated, too....Which version--the book, the musical, the movie?"

The musical, and I assume the movie, although you'd have to threaten my cats and Corgis before I would go see it. I was stabbing myself in the ears halfway through the musical.

((H))

A few more:

Over

Trastevere (Rome): There is absolutely nothing there, except maybe Santa Maria, but there are plenty of other churches that are as good or better. There's no reason at all to waste your time in Rome going to this boring part of town.

Positano: I really disliked this place. A zillion crappy shops where you'd never buy anything and tourist trap restaurants, packaged in pretentious rapping. If you closed you eyes and just listen, you'd think that you are in Omaha, since everyone seems to be an American tourist. You wear yourself out going up the steps. It's like spending your vacation climbing up the Empire State Building. Who needs it. There are the same views at many other places along the coast.

Under

Verona: Oddly, it's not worth a daytrip but it is well worth a day/night. There are no major sights (except for the arena), the stores are all boring international chains and the place is, frankly, just a well tuned tourist trap. Yet it is an oasis of tranquility from the craziness of the Rome-Florence-Venice trek. It's a human sized city with pleasant shady streets and some nice pizzas to sit and have a drink. A day there is a vacation from your vacation. (Note: the opera was not on at the time. This might change things.)

I try never to sit on a pizza when having a drink.

I rather like Trastevere. In the two weeks I sepnt in Rome last year, we gravitated to Trastever most evenings.

I like the name Les Mis, it is like calling the people who sleep on subway gratings The Home.

Underrated:
Vicenza, Italy - gorgeous little city with fabulous architecture, few tourists, good food.
Aigues Mortes & Camargue area of France - beautiful landscape and wildlife, interesting history and culture, lovely at night with few tourists.