One of Europe’s most popular attractions has taken the “dramatic” decision to reduce its visitor count in order preserve its beauty.
Italy, which continues to struggle with overtourism, has halved the visitor allowance for the villa by the lake.
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Villa del Balbianello is located on the northern Italian shores of Lake Como, and has reduced the number of guests that can be accommodated each day by a significant amount.
This elegant 18th Century house was featured in the Bond movie Casino Royale (2006) as well as Star Wars Attack of the Clones. It attracts tourists from all over the world.
It was constructed in 1787 from the remains of a Franciscan monastery and has since been used as a venue for filming, weddings and other events. However, it is now feeling the strain of high traffic.
Reducing the number of visitors was “a drastic decision”, said the FAI, the Italian equivalent of The National Trust.
The new rules are designed to counter the effect of “an excess of tourism that has an ever great impact on Lake Como,” they told The Telegraph.
FAI claim that this decision is necessary in order to preserve the gardens and villa.
The group argued that too many visitors “not only put at risk the preservation and integrity of the building” but “damaged its image”.
After the pandemic, Italy saw a large number of tourists return to major tourist sites. This has led to a sense of despair about the risks posed by mass travel.
After the travel restrictions were lifted, 60 million tourists will be expected to visit this country in 2013. This is almost a return to levels before the pandemic.
Although restaurateurs, hotels, tour guides, and taxi drivers are happy to see these numbers increase, the locals have grown tired of dealing with this strain, and environmental experts are concerned.
UNESCO has recommended that Venice should be included on the list of World Heritage Sites in danger.
Italy was criticized by the experts for its failure to reduce the negative effects of the climate change, mass tourism and the canal city.
Meanwhile, British holidaymakers have been warned they could be slapped with £430 fines in an Italian resort town for something as simple as eating an ice cream.
Local authorities in Sant’Antioco, Sardinia have launched a major crackdown on tourists in order to better preserve their beaches by rolling out 23 controversial new restrictions.
The beach will also be a no-go area for eating, playing sports or using an umbrella. All food consumption on the beach is prohibited, including eating snacks.
Elsewhere, travellers planning to bask in the sunshine of Italy’s Amalfi coast need to make sure they keep updated with the rules.
This surge in tourism has led to access and traffic issues, which authorities aim to resolve with a new bizarre regulation. It will prohibit certain tourists according to their license plates.
In the months of June and September, it is forbidden to drive cars with license plate numbers ending in even numbers, and on days ending in odd numbers, you cannot drive cars.
The UK’s holiday mecca in Greece, which is a hotspot for Brits on holidays, announced this week a significant rule change to help curb the overtourism.
Visits to the Acropolis of Athens, one of Greece’s most popular archaeological sites will be capped from next month at 20,000 tourists daily, the Greek government said on Wednesday.
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