Fourth edition of art tourism guidebook for U.S. to be released

Wednesday, February 23, 2005

SARASOTA, Fla. -- About 10 years ago, John Villani changed the way he planned his vacations. Instead of seeking out exclusive restaurants, antiques stores and clothing shops, he started looking for destinations with art galleries, street fairs, poetry readings, outdoor festivals and museums.

"Overnight I'd become a cultural tourist," he writes in "The 100 Best Art Towns in America," newly released in a fourth edition from The Countryman Press ($19.95).

The book Villani compiled as a result of his changed habits provides practical information about local arts venues and events, along with recommendations for lodging and food. Both U.S. and Canadian towns are listed.

Villani planned to announce his new top 10 lists -- one for towns with fewer than 30,000 people and another for towns with a population between 30,000 and 100,000 -- on Feb. 22 in Sarasota, Fla., which came in at No. 3 on the list for bigger towns.

Also on that list are Santa Fe, N.M.; Loveland, Colo.; Hot Springs, Ark.; Asheville, N.C.; Boulder, Colo.; Portland, Maine; Lawrence, Kan.; Bellingham, Wash.; and Chico, Calif.

Naples, Fla., which had not appeared in any previous editions of the book, tops the list for towns with fewer than 30,000 people, followed by Ashland, Ore.; Provincetown, Mass.; Taos, N.M.; Northampton, Mass.; Aspen, Colo.; Eureka, Calif.; Marfa, Texas; Salt Spring Island, British Columbia; and Brattleboro, Vt.

Villani's criteria for evaluating towns included the number of local art galleries, affordability, natural beauty, frequency of arts festivals, and the quality and quantity of museums, art schools, theaters and alternative arts venues.

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