Beachside Varosha, on the east coast of Cyprus, was abandoned in a hurry by its almost 40,000 residents during the Turkish invasion in 1974. Transformed from a bustling tourist resort to no man’s land overnight, all that remains are the rotting remains of an island paradise that time forgot.

Conquered and fenced off, the sun no longer shone as bright on a wasted summer playground once frequented by the likes of Brigitte Bardot, Elizabeth Taylor, Paul Newman and Sophia Loren.

But there’s tentative hope that Varosha may come to life again as UN-broached talks between Cyprus and Turk claim to be on track. Cypriot-Turkish representative Mustafa Akinci told reporters that it may be “months, rather than years” before the gates marked “Stop!” and “No photos allowed” are flung open to give an inkling at what once was a pit-stop in the travel diaries of Hollywood’s elite.

Who knows? Varosha may enter the world’s bucket list of travel destinations. Experts however are cautious.