They wanted to give these tourists “the Boot.”
Thousands of tourists inundated a picturesque Italian town this past weekend, creating a “gridlock” that obstructed traffic and forced other sightseers to wait “hours” to get in, as seen in dramatic footage circulating on X.
The shocking scenes were recorded at Sirmione, a village of just over 8,000 residents that’s situated on the scenic shores of Lake Garda.
The town has become a popular sightseeing destination due to its Roman ruins, thermal baths and Scaligero Castle, a majestic 13th-century fortification seemingly ripped straight out of a fairytale, the Times Of London reported.
Unfortunately, this tranquil oasis turned into a mosh pit after a whopping 75,000 visitors descended on the waterfront hub over the May Day holiday weekend to visit the fortress, the Sun reported.
Alarming clips show throngs of travelers lining up at the gates and piling into Sirmione’s narrow passageways like the start of the Superbowl.
Residents’ cars and electric buses reportedly became snarled in the foot traffic while visitors had to wait 40 minutes to enter through the gates to reach Sirmione’s town center.
Locals were understandably displeased by the deluge.
“Overrun by tourists — chaos, gridlock, and hours of waiting,” said one on X recalling the chaotic spectacle. “A crisis that must be urgently addressed and regulated. It damages our heritage and turns the experience into a negative one.”
Another disillusioned poster lamented: “Overtourism is what happens when presence is confused with existence. Fast, loud, empty. Like fast fashion—disposable and harmful. Travel less, mean more.”
Marco Merlo, the president of the hotel and restaurant operators association, told the Times that he was “very worried about public safety and the quality of life for tourists, residents and workers.”
“We hope the council will involve us in finding effective and widely agreed strategies,” he declared.
Members of a local group, Siamo Sirmione (“We Are Sirmione”) also decried the swamping of their beloved city, which has long been a hub for famous historical figures from Sigmund Freud to James Joyce.
“If this is the council’s management model the risk is not just hardship for residents but a real and lasting harm for the tourism and image of Sirmione,” the group wrote.
Roberto Salaorni, the official responsible for transport, said they didn’t intend to mitigate the number of visitors entering the narrow bridge to access the castle, but admitted that the flow could’ve been managed better.
“This is the first thing to do, possibly installing a barrier at the entrance to the castle, which would enable us to manage exceptional situations such as we saw on Friday,” said the councilor.
However, he noted that he’d never “seen so many people” visiting Sirmione or the neighboring lake towns.
Indeed, Italy is one of many destinations in Europe that’s been overrun by the global tournami.
The situation has become so dire in Venice that local officials implemented policies to limit large tourist groups — but to little avail.
They followed this measure up in April by imposing a fee on day-trippers who “eat and flee,” a phrase officials use for tourists who pack their lunch, snap a selfie and depart without spending a dime.
