The local municipality of Val di Funes has placed a ban on tourists coming into the Italian town of Santa Maddalena. The small town gained popularity because of its picturesque photo location that offers views of the Santa Maddalena church and surrounding green valley, framed by the Alps. The spot is said to see up to 600 visitors a day.
The municipality has said that it will move an existing barrier to limit road access to the towns church, allowing only residents and tourists staying in the area to enter via car. The move is an effort to combat traffic along the towns narrow roads.
In response to questions posed by il Dolomiti , Peter Pernthaler , Mayor of Funes, emphasised that the goal was not to prevent tourists from visiting the site. The barrier already exists, and we want to move it to the centre of Santa Maddalena, where the little church is located, so that tourists don't arrive by car, but on foot. The goal is to allow people to park in the village, where there are over a hundred parking spaces available. He went on to say that the barrier, doesn't mean we want to prevent tourists from accessing, but rather that we want to regulate it.
