"The old town within the walls is well managed and surviving the large number of visitors with little adverse impact.I imagine parking outside the walls could be a problem (arrival by train and bus isn't).Modern development is entirely beyond the walls."
"Restoration after earthquake was important. Very nice work of handicap accessibility."
"Wonderfully restored cathedral—crowded at times, but still very pleasant."
"Stunning. Very well preserved, strong sense of history and culture, with small hotels and restaurants incorporated into nooks of the old city.In low season, a pleasure to wander the streets. Food excellent, nearby countryside charming and well-preserved. Future looks good if current policies are maintained."
"Commerce is tourism oriented with very few functions serving daily life."
Italy: Costiera Amalfitana (Amalfi Coast)
Score: 72
"What a great stretch of coastline! Couple wonderful views with great music festivals and religious celebrations, and it's a great destination."
"Amalfi has not lost the local character of the coastal towns and agrarian industry up in the hills. Spectacular hiking opportunities."
"The modern buildings are integrated into the landscape very well. Traffic along the coastal road is often very heavy and the drive is heart-stopping. Amalfi and Positano both retain their charm."
"The protection and conservation of the beautiful littoral landscape of the Costiera Amalfitana has been a remarkable success. The excesses of the development up to and including Positano have been checked, and as a result a dramatic and immensely varied natural landscape, along with some remarkable historic towns such as Amalfi and Ravello, will survive."
"The Amalfi Coast continues as a seaside resort with pride of place.Although too crowded during peak tourism seasons by multi-nationals, the overall area remains intact."
"A visit to Florence should be a required part of everyone's education. The museums and churches are exceptionally well done, and in general the flow of people is orderly and well-organized. My only complaint was that it was hard to find any Italians—the city was very full of U.S. citizens."
"Tourism feels out of control in Florence. Tourists have absolutely no sense of their proper role in the locale. Efforts to curb crowds at the Uffizi and other museums are successful in terms of preserving the artworks therein; but the effect on the street is nerve-wracking. A general decline in the quality of food, gelato, and other aspects of culture within the historic center, but there is still plenty of local character just outside of the area. Florence is a mixed bag."
"There are still some magical nooks and crannies with charming restaurants where you feel like a local, and a welcomed guest. Environmentally it's a little dirty, but this didn't take away from its spirit, energy, and sense of itself."
"There has been a visible improvement in the management and restoration of the city during the last 20 years, despite the increasing number of visitors. The shops in the historic center have been taken by the same international brands you find everywhere, which alters the originality of the city. There is a dangerous decline of local products, Italian shops, and of the quality of food (industrial-made pizza and ice cream). The volunteer local guides you meet in some churches (Santa Maria Maggiore) are of great help."
Italy: Portovenere, Cinque Terre, and islands
Score: 70
"Small villages at different heights along the coast with spectacular views, harbors, walkways, places to eat.Currently well-protected because of inaccessibility by road. Visitors are probably not that aware of the ecological importance of the marine park."
"Walking from town to town through the Cinque Terre along a rugged, decaying stone path, we passed tourists and locals alike. Environmentally the area was well cared for …. The danger for this area is overuse."
"An excellent example of Italian landscape protection policies. The creation of a Parco Nazionale has ensured ongoing protection, whilst energetic policies for the rehabilitation of the dramatic vineyard terraces are proving successful."
"Smart conservation planning in the past five years has helped preserve Cinque Terre considerably. It serves now as an exemplar of planning and conservation in the relatively new field of cultural landscape management."
"Manages to host thousands of tourists and still be a real place with laundry hanging in the back streets. Maybe it is the university presence, or just enough critical mass of local people. The historic center is automobile free and has fantastic architecture, yet it does not feel like a stage set—it feels like a place to put down roots."
"Nice blend of 13th-century and modern day Italian culture. The aesthetic appeal in Siena comes in the details—frescoes, bas reliefs, and people watching. The historic sites propel you back in time, while the cafés and boutique shops with Italian crafts and foods give you a sense of today's culture as well. The Bell Tower could be better controlled with timed entrances. If it survived the bubonic plague and centuries of war, it can probably withstand tourists as long as they are properly managed."
"Seeing the cathedral in Siena is essential to understanding the perspective of late medieval Europe, and gave me a whole new perspective. The walled city itself is charming and lovely."
"Although tourism benefits the local community, Siena has moderate problems absorbing the enormous amount of visitors it gets every year."
"The concept of 'boundary maintenance' with visitors deposited at the perimeter and forced to find their way on foot into the heart of the city is excellent.It remains a vibrant, lived-in place where the locals have adapted to tourism, retaining a degree of control over their own affairs, hanging out their washing on lines stretched across the narrow streets regardless of what the visitors might think.They do not work for tourism, rather tourism works for them!"
Italy: Venice and its lagoon
Score: 46
"One gets a sense of the decay of the city everywhere and almost regrets coming as a result of feeling like an accomplice to the deterioration of the city. One does not get any glimpse of the 'real' life that people lead, as everyone seems to be trying to get the most out of tourists. The 'cultural' visit is therefore limited to the monuments, the churches, and the canals."
"Beautiful fading jewel, now just a museum of a place, with massive maritime activity on the edge."
"Venice is beautiful, but no one lives there except tourists, and its days of power and importance are long past. Nevertheless, it is a fascinating destination, and the Byzantine architecture is truly amazing."
"While Venice is very crowded, that is what people expect. What is creating problems with crowding and ruining it from an aesthetic perspective is the cruise-ship industry. It has tipped the balance by disgorging hordes of tourists who seem not to spend any money. This has to be better regulated."
"Two blocks away from the hordes of tourists, a visitor can get lost in traditional Venetian experiences without a tourist in sight."
"Very early mornings wandering the area, watching the boatmen load their provisions and locals getting their day underway, provided a very different experience than the crowds experienced during 'visitor hours.'Environmental quality is variable and significant issues continue in regards to flooding, air and water quality."
