Italian ski resort Roccaraso braces for another tumultuous weekend after thousands of tourists descended upon the small town last Sunday, causing widespread chaos and congestion. Mayor Francesco Di Donato expressed deep concern over reports from travel companies indicating that twice as many day trips had been booked for the upcoming Sunday. "We cannot be overwhelmed by day-trippers. It is impractical to set up a thousand chemical toilets every Sunday," Di Donato stated.
@piero.marco.pizzi.profRoccaraso letteralmente invasa da turisti campani
♬ suono originale - Piero Pizzi
Last weekend's surge saw approximately 220 buses arriving in Roccaraso, bringing about half of the estimated 20,000 visitors to the town, which normally has a population of 1,500. The sudden increase in tourists was largely influenced by popular Italian TikTok influencers, including Rita De Crescenzo, who promoted cheap day trips to the resort.
@ilmessaggero.it Prosegue la polemica sull'afflusso eccessivo di visitatori che domenica scorsa si è riversato nel comprensorio sciistico di Roccaraso, in Abruzzo. Oltre 200 autobus arrivati da Napoli hanno paralizzato la viabilità facendo riscontrare un record di presenze. Dopo che il nutrito gruppo ha lasciato la città però si è diffuso un video che mostra "i segni" del passaggio di questo altissimo numero di persone: degrado, plastica e cartacce si sono accumulate ai lati della statale tra la neve in parte sciolta. Video di Francesco Borrelli . . . [#IlMessaggero] #abruzzo #roccaraso #napoli #neve #gita ♬ suono originale - Il Messaggero
The residents of Roccaraso were unprepared for what Mayor Di Donato described as an "invasion, not tourism." Enikos, a Greek news outlet, reported that visitors faced long queues and overcrowded areas, with many describing the experience as "panic" due to blocked mountain roads and overwhelmed facilities. Visitors struggled to get onto ski lifts and into restaurants.
Roccaraso, Provincia di Napoli pic.twitter.com/7G4x68CYQk
— Numa Pompilio (@tuscolo) January 29, 2025
Mayor Di Donato announced that unauthorized bus entries would be limited to manage the overwhelming number of visitors.
Visitors reportedly left behind mountains of garbage, including broken sleds and food scraps.
"I don't feel responsible for the inconveniences. I only said that Roccaraso is a beautiful place; the people who follow me on TikTok are free to move as they want," influnencer Rita De Crescenzoshe stated, according to Italian newspaper Il Messaggero. She added that Roccaraso "will continue to be popular" and vowed to return to the resort on Sunday.
The article was written with the assistance of a news analysis system.