Beautiful little village ‘bans’ tourists as it’s invaded by James Bond and Star Wars fans

A popular European tourist attraction announced the drastic decision to slash visitor numbers (Image: Getty)

A picturesque lakeside European attraction, which came crashing onto the tourist radar in the early 2000s, has now become a victim of its own success. The 18th-century villa, renowned for its appearances in blockbusters like James Bond and Star Wars, has now been forced to reduce its visitor numbers in order to preserve its beauty as its country continues to struggle in its war on overtourism.

Villa del Balbianello, nestled on the shores of the iconic hotspot of Lake Como in northern Italy, recently made the drastic decision to cut the number of tourists who can visit each day from 2,000 to just 1,200. The mansion, built in 1787 out of the ruins of a Franciscan convent, featured in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002) and the Bond film Casino Royale (2006) and has been drawing in worldwide tourists keen to recreate iconic scenes. However, this has led to increased footfall, which has threatened the historic property and its gardens.

The decision was predicted to result in a drop in revenue, but was deemed a necessary one (Image: Getty)

Reducing the number of visitors was “a drastic decision”, the Italian Fund for the Environment (FAI) –aha the Italian equivalent of The National Trust, which also runs the property - said at the time. The new rules were designed to counter the effect of “an excess of tourism that has an ever great impact on Lake Como,” they told The Telegraph.

Although Villa del Balbianello was predicted to see a large drop in revenue, the FAI said the decision was necessary because allowing too many tourists to visit “not only puts at risk the preservation of the property” but also “damages its image”.

In the Star Wars universe, Villa del Balbianello served as the lakeside retreat of Padmé Amidala on her home planet of Naboo and was where she and Anakin Skywalker secretly married. Meanwhile, in Casino Royale, it served as the picturesque recovery spot for James Bond and Vesper Lynd after Bond was tortured. Another film that utilised its beautiful setting was A Month by the Lake, in 1995.

Villa del Balbianello featured in Star Wars' Attack of the Clones (2002) and Casino Royale (2006) (Image: Getty)

This is not the only site in Italy that has been compelled to implement measures to address overtourism. In Venice, a €5 to €10 entry fee for day-trippers has been introduced, managing crowds via a booking system. The iconic floating city has also limited group sizes to 25 people and banned the use of megaphones and amplified tours. Large cruise ships are also no longer allowed into the lagoon, having been redirected to Marghera or Ravenna, from where passengers can travel into Venice.

In the Dolomites, farmers have installed pay gates on trails to protest litter and overcrowding, while major citues like Rome and Florence have implemented visitor caps, tourist taxes and stricter rules for short-term rentals like Airbnb. Italian officials are also encouraging holidaymakers to explore less-visited areas to spread visitor numbers and reduce the pressure on its busiest hotspots.

Indeed, this year, Italy's tourism board, led by ENIT, is actively promoting less-visted areas through campaigns like "99% of Italy" - a digital campaign on TikTok and Instagram - and "Luminous Destinations 2026", aiming to combat overtourism by shifting focus from hotspots to hidden gems in regions like Puglia, Sardinia and Abruzzo, encouraging slow travel, sustainable tourism and cultural immersion in villages and on walking routes across the country.