About 2, 000 people live in Ghajar, a picturesque hillside village which is partly in Lebanon and party in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

BBC: Israel approves pullout from Lebanon border village

He recently got in trouble for suggesting in campaign leaflets that he could single-handedly remodel one of Rio's largest shanty towns to resemble a picturesque hillside village in Italy.

ECONOMIST: Brazil

But nowadays Britons don't have to cross the Channel to enjoy this most Gallic of games, as anyone who happened to be passing through Sherston a tiny, picturesque village in north Wiltshire during its 17th annual boules tournament, earlier this month, could tell you.

ECONOMIST: Niche sports: The running of the boules | The

The tsunami that wrecked northern Japanese fishing villages and small cities also travelled across the Pacific and hit the Hawaiian islands, causing tens of millions of dollars worth of damage to boats, docks, beach homes and led to the closing of the famous Kona Village Resort, a picturesque minimalist string of high-end bungalows on the Kona coast of the Big Island of Hawaii.

FORBES: After the Japan Earthquake/Tsunami: Hawaii -- the New Mid-Pacific Business Hub

However, if you value a quieter, more contemplative life, one punctuated only by the scraping of chairs after a leisurely lunch and the wind rustling through the lavender fields, a few miles back from the coast lies the picturesque village of Vidauban.

FORBES: Provencal Retreat

The picturesque, tranquil streets of the West Village are home to some lovely boutiques, with a few antique dealers, bookstores, record stores, and quirky gift and curio shops adding a bit of eclecticism to an otherwise fashion-focused 'hood.

BBC: Last minute holiday shopping in the Big Apple