Chaos in pretty European town as tourists clog streets and outnumber locals by 8 to 1

By Conor Wilson, News Reporter

The town has a population of just 8,000 people (Image: Getty)

An historic Italian town has endured a bank holiday weekend nightmare with tourists outnumbering locals by nearly eight to one. The popular town of Sirmione on the south bank of Lake Garda, with a population of just 8,000 saw 75,000 people flock to it over the bank holiday weekend.

Famous for its historic narrow streets, the medieval settlement saw crowds struggle to make it through the town’s gates or across a narrow bridge into the famous castle, making regular life for inhabitants almost impossible and driving public services to breaking point. Cars parked in the town became stranded as electric buses became jammed behind human traffic. Marco Merlo, the president of the hotel and restaurant operators’ association, said: “We’re 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.

Tourists struggled to make it through the town's gates (Image: Getty)

A local group, Siamo Sirmione, which translates as We are Sirmione highlighted the plight of residents.

It said: “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 resort is popular amongst the wealthy; with former Prime Minister Theresa May known to regularly visit the five-star Villa Cortine Palace hotel with husband Phillip.

Austrian neurologist and father of psychoanalysis Sigmund Freud was a fan of the area, writing to his wife in September 1900: “We have done well to come here to Sirmione, because Sirmione is a paradise.”

But the town has become the latest in a host of popular holiday destinations in Italy and across Europe to issue warnings about the impact of overtourism.

Popular destinations such as Venice have introduced measures to limit tourist numbers (Image: Getty)

Roberto Salaorni, the councillor responsible for transport, called for better regulation and people management at popular spots, including the narrow bridge giving entry to the castle.

He said: “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.

“Controls are absolutely necessary, but I stress that we have never seen so many people before, not just in Sirmione but in the other towns around the lake.”