Villa del Balbianello has reduced the number of visitors per day to 1200. Photo: Alamy
The lakeside villa featured in the James Bond movie and Star Wars movies will limit the number of tourists who can visit as Italy fights overtourism.
Villa del Balbianello, an 18th-century mansion located on the shores of Lake Como in northern Italy, is set to cut the number of visitors allowed in each day from 2,000 to a maximum of 1,200.
Revenues will plummet, but action is needed to protect the integrity of property, which was featured in Casino Royale, the 2006 Bond film starring Daniel Craig, as well as Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones. /p>
Reducing the number of visitors was a “drastic decision” but it was introduced to counter the effect of “an overabundance of tourism that is increasingly affecting Lake Como,” the Italian Environment Fund said in a statement. or FAI, the Italian equivalent of the National Trust, which manages the property.
Letting too many people roam the imposing estate and its immaculate gardens “not only jeopardizes the preservation of the property” but “damages its image” .
Villa built for the cardinal in 1787. on the ruins of a Franciscan monastery is not the only place in Italy experiencing a crush from tourists.
“Tourism will grow over the next 10 years”
Tourism has bounced back with a vengeance since the pandemic and all related lockdowns and travel restrictions.
According to Istituto Demoskopika, a market research agency, 60 million foreigners are expected to travel to Italy this year, which is close to 65 million that the country received before the pandemic.
Tourism will bring 194 billion euros. (£167bn) into the Italian economy this year, down just three percent from the pre-pandemic peak.
Julia Simpson, President of the World Travel and Tourism Council, said: “The sector is strongly recovering – great news for jobs and prosperity across Italy as international visitors return. We expect tourism to grow to 12% of Italian GDP over the next 10 years.”
Daniel Craig starred in a film about James Bond 2006 “Casino Royale”
The increase in arrivals was welcomed by hoteliers, restaurants and taxi drivers, but it has alarmed people who have to live among crowds of tourists every day.
This week, UNESCO recommended that Venice be added to its list of World Heritage Sites in Danger, stating that Italy has failed to protect the city from the effects of mass tourism and climate change.
The corrective measures proposed by Rome are “currently insufficient and not detailed enough,” UNESCO experts said. Venice's decision to block giant cruise ships and its plans to impose a tourist tax to deter day-trippers were not enough.
Venice has struggled with the problem of mass tourism for decades, and the problem has gotten worse. a sharp decline in the population of the city, which has now fallen from 145,000 people in 1960 to less than 50,000 people.
The problem lies not only in the number of tourists, but also in their behavior.
< p>This week, a group of young German tourists were accused of dumping a prized statue at a villa in northern Italy after posing for photos in a social media post.
Two of the group climbed into a fountain to hug the statue 19th century worth 200,000 euros, and another poked her with a stick, causing her to fall to the floor.
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Last month, there were calls to restrict access to the Trevi Fountain in Rome after a tourist climbed onto a carved monument and flopped belly into the water.
Overtourism threatens the integrity of the Villa del Balbianello Photo: Alexander Tribushny //Alamy
Alessandro Onorato, responsible for culture and tourism in the City Council of Rome , said: “The obscene spectacle at the Trevi Fountain last night, when another tourist makes fun of the cultural and historical heritage of our city and our rules, is no longer acceptable. This [is] pure barbarism.”
“Police fines and endless appeals to common sense are no longer enough. Tourists should not be allowed to do what they want with impunity,” he said.
One Roman on the popular site about life in the city “Welcome to the Favelas” suggested that the coins thrown by tourists into the fountain should be replaced by piranhas to prevent this behavior.
Another iconic but touristy destination in Italy, Liguria's Cinque Terre coast, is trying to impose limits on the number of visitors.
The coastal path known as “the most romantic trail in the world” has finally reopened after being forced to close a decade ago due to a rockfall.
Strictly controlled facilities
Local authorities are trying to prevent public access, therefore, access to the trail, which is only a short section of the original trail so far, will be tightly controlled with only 30 people walking on it every half hour. And there's a hefty €5 entrance fee.
But the Cinque Terre can do little about the broader problem of overtourism – each year, villages of about 4,000 people are flooded with three million tourists.
Cities and villages that are trying to limit or manage the consequences mass tourism, clash with the national government, which seeks to promote Italian tourism as strongly as possible. maybe.
In April, Italy launched a new tourist attraction campaign called Open to Meraviglia. It depicts a young woman, modeled after Sandro Botticelli's famous painting The Birth of Venus, enjoying a range of destinations, from eating pizza on the shores of Lake Como to relaxing by the sea in Puglia.
C The government aims to promote tourism for the billions of euros in taxable income and the hundreds of thousands of jobs it creates, there are few options for Italians choking on mass tourism.
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