Tourists swamp small Italian villages with crowds ‘blocking streets and trapping locals in their homes’

Tourists have flooded Italian villages, blocking the streets with crowds and cameras, trapping residents in their homes and provoking renewed local outcry.

As temperatures rose, visitors began to invade the streets of quaint villages along the Amalfi Coast, just south of Naples; They began bumping shoulders and clattering their overstuffed backpacks towards the postcard stands.

Images online show a narrow passage in Positano filled with a ‘sea of ​​tourists’.

Antonio Attianese, who lives nearby and lives in Nocera Inferiore, said: ‘The mayors and administrators of the Amalfi Coast love this mess, otherwise they would have already given orders to civilize this mass tourism.

‘This has been going on for years and the situation is getting worse every year.’

Not a centimeter is spared and more holidaymakers are seen making their way down a set of stairs towards the ancient street towards the crowd.

In the town of Amalfi, queues of visitors stretch back from the ferries in the harbour.

One type of tourism that commentators say is particularly harmful is ‘eat and run’ tourism, or ‘mordi e fuggi’, in which day-trippers spend little money and buy cheap souvenirs.

Locals said the situation worsened after videos of the packed scenes were posted on social media

Positano is a celebrity favorite on the Amalfi Coast but bogged down by crowds

Salvatore Gagliano, former mayor of Positano, described the crowds as “scenes straight out of the Third World.”

Mr Gagliano, who owns the five-star Grand Hotel Tritone in the nearby village of Praiano, told The Guardian: Telegram: ‘The roads are narrow. When they are blocked, complete confusion ensues.’

Calling for regulations on cruise ships arriving in Positano, he said: ‘We can’t handle this many people. The beauty of the Amalfi Coast is being destroyed.’

The town has long been a popular hangout for Hollywood stars such as Kylie Jenner, Beyoncé and Jay-Z, Reese Witherspoon and Mick Jagger.

They’re often seen at poplar spots like Hotel Le Sirenuse and rustic seaside restaurant Da Adolfo.

Overtourism is common throughout Europe, and Venice also experiences problems due to large crowds of visitors.

The issue is also particularly controversial in Barcelona, ​​where locals hold regular protests over the number of holidaymakers descending on the city during the summer months.

They claim that the oversupply of holiday homes and hostels has increased local residents’ rents.

After holidaymakers were attacked with pressurized water during a demonstration in 2024, local authorities stepped in and imposed extra fees on tourists who spent the night in the city.

Dubrovnik in Croatia has also been flooded with tourists in the last few years since Game of Thrones was filmed there, and accommodation and food costs have skyrocketed.

Venice has long been overcrowded and a favorite among tourists who come to see the splendor of Italy.