Italian Updates: Latest News Highlights on a Friday
It's a chaotic Friday in Italy, where a picturesque town is teetering on the brink of being overwhelmed by crowds of tourists. Sirmione, a town nestled on the banks of Lake Garda, recently dealt with 75,000 visitors over the weekend - that's nearly 10 times the town's population! The streets were crammed, the old town was jam-packed, and getting through the historic center's gates took a whopping 40 minutes, according to local media.
Local authorities are scrambling to find a solution. They're eyeing a contentious tactic similar to Venice's ticketing system, with a potential entry fee for day-trippers. The aim is to exclude residents, workers, second-home owners, and overnight tourists from the fee. A simple digital payment platform is being considered for the scheme.
Additional measures are also being mulled, such as a new parking system to encourage turnover and discourage longer stays. Overcrowding isn't a new problem in Italy—other destinations, like the ski resort of Roccaraso and several towns at Mount Etna's foot, have had their fair share of overtourism drama recently.
Meanwhile, an ancient Greek philosopher's work has been unearthed from the ruins of a Roman villa, thanks to new X-ray imaging technology. The charred scroll, found in Herculaneum, reveals part of On Vices, a philosophical treatise by Epicurean philosopher Philodemus. The latest discovery comes as part of the Vesuvius Challenge, a global competition launched in 2023, aiming to read more of the scrolls buried under ash after Mount Vesuvius erupted nearly 2,000 years ago.
Lastly, the European Union is threatening to target US cars and planes worth €95 billion if tariff talks with Washington fail. The US had planned to impose 20-percent tariffs on various goods but then froze the measure, keeping a 'baseline' 10-percent tariff. The EU remains hopeful for a negotiated solution to avoid a trade war. However, in case tariffs are reinstated, the EU is prepared to retaliate with measures that could even target US Big Tech companies.
Now it's your turn! Join the conversation in our comments section below, share your thoughts on the situation, and even ask questions or suggest ideas to our journalists. Stay tuned for more articles and updates on everything happening in Italy!
[If you have any suggestions, questions, or feedback, feel free to contact us at [email protected]]
Join the conversation here
See Also
- Tourist Regulation Strategies for Overcrowded Destinations
- Preserving Cultural Heritage in Tourism
- Promoting Responsible Tourism
- The chaotic scenes in Sirmione, an Italian town on Lake Garda, are a stark reminder of the overtourism issue, as it was recently overwhelmed by 75,000 visitors over a weekend.
- Local authorities are considering adopting a ticketing system similar to Venice's, aiming to introduce an entry fee for day-trippers to manage the influx of tourists.
- The strategy would exclude residents, workers, second-home owners, and overnight tourists from the fee and include a simple digital payment platform for smooth implementation.
- Apart from this, additional measures like a new parking system to encourage turnover and discourage longer stays are also being contemplated.
- Italy is not unique in facing overtourism issues; other destinations like Mount Etna's foot and the ski resort of Roccaraso have experienced similar struggles.
- In a different context, archaeologists in Italy recently unearthed a charred scroll from the ruins of a Roman villa in Herculaneum, revealing part of On Vices, a philosophical treatise by Epicurean philosopher Philodemus.
- Meanwhile, the European Union is preparing to target US cars and planes worth €95 billion if tariff talks with Washington fail, as tensions escalate in the trade economy.
