I think this is a good idea. Cinque Terre ticket system
Posted by
Bainbridge Island
3126 posts
So do I! Looks like it is aimed primarily at cruise ship visitors, as it should be. They are the biggest problem, inundating the villages each day.
Posted by
Centennial, CO, USA
1883 posts
Just in the planning stages. Won't affect visits this year...or maybe even next. But it is a good idea, IF they can make it happen.
If you want to hike the Inca trail, you have to sign up, and they only allow 500 a day to start...they also close down the trail in Feb. for maintenance.
We are loosing our wonders of the world to over use, but then I'm sure we travelers really want to be able to see the Colosseum from the inside, walk the ancient steps up to the copula of the Duomo in Florence, etc...
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
15849 posts
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32219 posts
Ann,
As the links that Kathy posted indicate, there's been some discussion on this topic but nothing is "written in stone" at this point. We'll just have to wait and see what measures they actually implement.
Posted by
Waterville, Ireland
409 posts
Just to add some clarification to wrong information, above -- i'm copying the article from The Guardian newspaper below.
YES, this does start this summer!!!
The Guardian - February 17, 2016
Italy plans to severely reduce the number of tourists visiting the Cinque Terre UN world heritage area this summer because the rugged coastal area risks being wrecked by coach parties and cruise ships.
About 2.5 million tourists poured into the picturesque park in north-west Italy’s Liguria region last year to visit the five small fishing villages, which are connected by narrow cliffside trails.
Italy's Cinque Terre under threat from mudslides and rockfalls
Residents say day-trippers from cruise ships docking at nearby ports have overwhelmed their communities and the head of the Cinque Terre park said no more than 1.5 million visitors would be let in this year.
“We will certainly be criticised for this, but for us it is a question of survival,” Vittorio Alessandro told la Repubblica newspaper.
Roads leading to the area are being fitted with devices to gauge the number of people heading to the villages and once a certain number has been reached, access will be closed.
Tickets will be sold ahead of time online and an app created for tourists to show which of the villages are most congested.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It's a lovely place - but take it from someone who stayed for weeks and hiked around a great deal -- its VERY crowded by day-trippers on train & ferry. There are many other quaint and lovely villages that might be a good alternative.
Enjoy!
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
15849 posts
At this point I won't believe limiting efforts are in place, and what those are, until I see them posted on the 'official' Parconazionale5terre website.
This is interesting.
From an RS member today: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/latest-news-regarding-visitors-to-cinque-terre
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32219 posts
todayinireland,
Just to clarify, nothing has changed and there won't be any limits on tourists visiting the Cinque Terre this year. There are a lot of stakeholders involved in this, and "thinking-out-loud" statements from a few of them doesn't make this a done deal. The Guardian seems to be a bit "behind" with the news. One would think that a reputable newspaper would check their information more closely.
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
15849 posts
Amen, Ken!
Posted by
Lewiston, Idaho, USA
2091 posts
Kathy and Ken, thanks for the clarification and updates!
Posted by
Waterville, Ireland
409 posts
Lot's of opinions on the ins & outs of this, but some pretty high profile news agencies are reporting this with interviews with the head of the Park.
In Italian, the Italian Park Service
http://www.newsjs.com/url.php?p=http://www.easyviajar.com/noticia/italia-limita-los-visitantes-a-cinque-terre-67287
Yahoo posted an article about this six hours ago
https://news.yahoo.com/cinque-terre-other-destinations-limit-tourist-visits-162055889.html
Conde Nast Traveller
http://www.cntraveler.com/stories/2016-02-17/italys-cinque-terre-to-begin-limiting-tourists
2011 had 400,000 tourists; 2015 had 2.5 million. My friends who run tourist businesses in Florence believe this will go through. If not this summer, soon!
Posted by
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
8293 posts
It makes me smile when I see the blame for overcrowding on the hiking trails in the Cinque Terre put onto the poor cruise ship passengers. I have taken 3 or 4 cruises as well as a few Cunard Atlantic crossings and it would be a rare thing to see more than a couple of hundred passengers in physical condition good enough to hike anywhere. On a cruise a couple of years ago to Hawaii from San Diego the man in the next cabin went out on his balcony every morning to have a telephone conversation with (I think) his daughter. One morning I guess she must have told him to stay safe because his reply was "Safe? The only danger I am in is tripping over someone's wheelchair or oxygen tank!" Too true.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
15245 posts
Posted by todayinireland 02/22/16 02:38 PM
Lot's of opinions on the ins & outs of this, but some pretty high profile news agencies are reporting this with interviews with the head of the Park.
In *Italian*, the Italian Park Service
http://www.newsjs.com/url.php?p=http://www.easyviajar.com/noticia/italia-limita-los-visitantes-a-cinque-terre-67287
Wow. I know Italian is similar to Spanish, but I didn't know it was that similar.
Ok. I will actually post the latest news, this time in real Italian. It's from the website of the Liguria Region.
The President of the Liguria Region, Giovanni Toti, has stated on behalf of the Regional Government, in unequivocal terms, that he is totally against limited access to the Cinque Terre. Unfortunately once in a while you hear public officials, such as the head of the CT National Park, who has no jurisdiction on this matter, making statements just because they like to hear themselves talk.