Italian Village Restricts Photo-Hungry Tourists

A once-tranquil Alpine village in northern Italy is trying to rein in selfie-seeking tourists after years of disruption. The Times of London reports that officials in Funes, a German-speaking municipality in South Tyrol near the Austrian border, are barring most visitors from driving up a narrow road to the Santa Maddalena church, a 15th-century landmark backed by the Odles peaks. Since going viral on social media, the site has drawn hundreds of visitors a day, many stopping only long enough to snap photos. Locals say the influx has brought traffic jams, littering, and trespassing across private meadows, straining life in the village of roughly 2,500 residents. "They want that photo at all costs," said Roswitha Moret Niederwolfsgruber, the council chief for social welfare. "We are not living any more."

Under new rules taking effect from mid-May to November, barriers will close the road to all but residents and tourists with hotel bookings. Other visitors will be required to park below and walk uphill, a deterrent officials hope will discourage so-called "hit-and-run" tourism. Parking fees will also rise from the current $4.75 per day. A similar system tested several years ago failed when determined visitors followed residents through open barriers or drove around them, prompting officials this time to move checkpoints further up the road and staff them. Carlo Zanella of the Italian Alpine Club said many tourists are racing through Italy on tight itineraries. "They arrive in coaches in the morning," he said. "They're at Cortina by the afternoon and Venice by the evening."

CNN reports that Santa Maddalena's rise as a social-media magnet has been years in the making. The church first gained attention among Chinese tourists after appearing on SIM cards issued by a Chinese mobile phone operator more than a decade ago, while the nearby Seceda mountain later drew crowds after featuring as an Apple screensaver. Both locations are now fixtures on Instagram and TikTok, drawing visitors who locals say add little to the local economy while straining infrastructure. Mayor Peter Pernthaler says the restrictions are part of a broader push for "slow tourism." "We need order, both for those who live here and for those who want to arrive, take the classic photo, and leave," he said.