J
uzcar used to be white. It was part of the Pueblos
Blancos, a series of Andalucian villages famed
worldwide for their buildings’ whitewashed walls.
But then the Smurfs came to town.
When Sony Pictures wanted a real-life
Smurf Village to promote
The Smurfs
movie in 2011, the Juzcar
authorities sensed a business opportunity. Some 4,000 litres
of paint later and the newly blue village was attracting Smurf
devotees in their droves. Sony Pictures offered to return Juzcar to
its original white, but the villagers voted overwhelmingly in favour
of keeping Juzcar blue. “It’s increased our happiness, our dreams
and our levels of employment,” said David Fernandez, the village
mayor, or “Papa Smurf” as he’s known locally.
The boost to the local economy generated by tourismmay not
be the only reason the villagers are smiling. “It makes perfect
sense that they would be happier living in blue houses,” says
Angela Wright of Colour Affects, a London-based company that
helps individuals and organisations harness the psychological
effects of colour. Wright, a colour psychologist who wrote
The
Beginner’s Guide to Colour Psychology
,
says: “Blue helps you
»
Burano, Italy
Fishing has given way to tourism as the main
income for the 2,800 residents of Burano, an
archipelago of four islands in the Venetian lagoon.
The one-time fishermen’s houses continue to be
brightly painted, in keeping with a colour scheme
controlled by the local council. The ferry from
Venice takes about 40 minutes – as well as the
photogenic setting, go for the food and the leaning
tower of the 15th-century San Martino church.
Also famous for:
Lace – Leonardo da Vinci visited
in 1481 and bought cloth here for the altar of
Milan’s Duomo.
Norwegian flies to Venice from Oslo,
Copenhagen, Stockholm and Helsinki
Cinque
Terre, Italy
These five towns along
the Ligurian coast,
overlooking the Gulf of
Genoa, are a UNESCO
World Heritage site.
Manarola is the
second smallest town
and possibly the
oldest – its painted
houses were a big
draw for 19th-century
painters, including
Antonio Discovolo.
From here take the
Via dell’Amore walking
trail to Riomaggiore;
hiking through the
area’s vineyards
is particularly
recommended if the
route is closed.
Also famous for:
The local wine,
Sciacchetrà.
Riomaggiore is 70
minutes’ drive from
Pisa; Norwegian flies
to Pisa/Tuscany from
Oslo, Copenhagen and
Stockholm
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