Every single village mentioned becomes "magical" after the tourists leave !! Even places like Siena and even Venice are much nicewr after the tourists leave, what happens when we all decide to stay back after the tourists leave ?

I disagree, Marko. Not every village becomes magical-after the tourists leave, some villages just become, well, boring.

Not true of San Gimignano, though.

We stayed in the Belsoggiorno a few years back. The room was fine, but, better, we had one of 3 rooms that open onto a shared terrace with a marvelous view of the valley below and the town wall. We spent the afternoon basking in the sun on this terrace and went into town after the crowds departed.

By the way, we drove into SG to drop our bags following the hotel directions. This was difficult given very narrow streets and hordes of pedestrians. It would have been much easier to park in the lot just outside town and wheel our bags in. The Belsoggiorno is near the town gate.

Girlspytravel, Not every single village, but certainly the ones mentioned above change character when the hordes leave.

Marko, your point is actually amusing. So true...and it's kind of what Rick Steves has managed to do by popularizing the "less-travelled" sites. Now they're jam-packed sites. Ah, well.

Interestingly, I'm one of the few people who did not find Lucca "magical" after the hordes left. I suppose Lucca wouldn't be considered a village, but it's not a big city either. Anyway, it just wasn't my cuppa, so you sure can't go on reputations, imvho. Whatever!

LucieV, I'm glad to hear it wasn't just me. Lucca did nothing for me. And I also agree with your Rick Steves comment. We check his guidebooks before planning our itineraries so that we can avoid the towns he raves about.

Oh, Jean, that's heresy! Shhhh...

When he first started writing years ago, I checked out one of his books. I was not impressed with his style, but dutifully followed one suggestion he made for a place in Italy. Suffice it to say, after that, the only thing I recommend him for is his packing list.


But he's a rich & famous hero; I'm not; so what can I say?!

Desiree-Lucca is an absolute jewel of a city: when my English friend and I first went there, we were immediately taken with it; lovely, elegant, upscale-the ancient city walls are almost completely intact, this is an area where you can ride bikes or take a "passegiata" -there is the ancient Duomo and Chiesa of San Martino, even an ancient Roman ampitheatre, among its sights. In the summer there is a Puccini opera festival, as Puccini was born here. The beach is close by as well-this is a Tuscan city well worth visiting.

I think everyone's got his/her own impression about a place. I didn't care for San Gimignano, others Lucca, etc. d

I must admit I preferred Lucca over San Gim, its all about personal preferences !! Thank god we've got them and can talk about them !