What happens to SW locations?

I was really wondering about this.
What happens to the places where SW is filmed.

Now I have been to Milan Italy and I know for a fact that people do go to Lake Komo. But is there a plague that says "Star Wars Episode II filmed here"?

Or the desert where the homestead is. What happens to the buildings. Do they blow it up after filming? I mean George said that while the buildings were gone the same craters and such were still there when he went to film AOTC.

Do they keep any of this stuff up and open it for tourists. Like if you are ever in Tunisia you can visit Mos Espa? What happens to it? Do sandstorms destroy it?

What about the desert of Arizona where Jabba sail barge was? Is that a tourist attraction or an unknown area?

Do people visit that palace in Italy so they can say they sat in Amidala's chair?

I was just wondering about this.

 

A lot of the places used for filming, especially for the prequels, were tourist attractions long before Star Wars came along. Lake Como, for instance. (And no, there aren't any plaques, or at least I sure hope there aren't.) And you can't go to the palace in Caserta to sit in Amidala's chair, because the throne was a prop. It's now sitting in a Lucasfilm warehouse somewhere, if it hasn't been taken apart.

The sets in the various deserts are generally torn down and carted away after use, partially because of environmental considerations (many of the places are national parks or the equivalent) and partially because, well, they don't want to leave the stuff lying around. That said, you can go artifact-hunting in the desert (in California, not Arizona) where the Jabba's sail barge scenes were filmed.

 

I seriously doubt there's any plaques anywhere saying Star Wars filmed there. I mean, come on they ARE just movies after all. Movies film in places all the time. You don't see plaques anywhere saying "The Fast and the Furious filmed here" or "When Harry Met Sally filmed here".
(Unless it's a restaurant trying to win a quick buck. Heh.)


The Tatooine homestead is a real building. I believe it's a hotel (or was a hotel in the past).


Do sandstorms destroy it?
Sandstorms are very, very dangerous


As for things like Mos Espa and other sets constructed in the desert... well... I dunno.

You're probably supposed to deconstruct and take away anything you build after filming. Cleaning up your own mess and all that.

On the other hand, I remember reading that during the making of Monty Python's Life of Brian they stumbled across sets built for other Bible movies that no one had bothered to take down, so they shot there



Rick McCallum loves you!

 

Reka the outdoor shots of ROTJ were filmed in Yuma Arizona. My proof:

Movies Scenes & Lead Actors Filmed in and around Yuma Arizona


Star Wars (Special Edition) George Lucas Film
Black Day/Blue Night 1995 Gil Bellows, Mia Sara, Michelle Forbes
In The Army Now 1994 Pauley Shore, Lori Petty
Tank Girl 1994 Lori Petty
Silent Fury 1993 Joe Estevez, Sidney Morgan
Stargate 1993 Kurt Russell, James Spader
True Lies 1993 Arnold Swartzinegger
The Getaway 1993 Alec Baldwin, Kim Bassinger
Nemisis 1993
Class of Nuke'em High 1990
Subhumanoid Meltdowm Brick Bronsky
A Climate for Killing 1990 Katherine Ross, John Beck
Singled Out 1990 Joey Travolta, Danny & Nannete Spear
The Wilding 1990 Joey Travolta, Wings Hauser
Old Explorers 1989 James Whitmore, Jose Ferre
Fortress of Amerikka 1989 Gene LeBrok, Kelly Bradley
Rambo III 1988 Sylvester Stallone, Richard Crenna
Spaceballs 1987 John Candy, Mel Brooks, Rick Moranis
Hard Knox 1984 Robert Conrad
Return of the Jedi 1983 Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill


I hope you all notice the last film on the list. The sail barge was filmed in Arizona