The Alpine village of Funes, once a quiet retreat known mainly to hikers and mountaineers, is taking decisive action to stem the flow of tourists after viral fame transformed it into a hotspot for social media photography. Nestled in South Tyrol near the Austrian border, the village has become the latest European destination to confront the consequences of overtourism driven by online trends.
Set amid lush meadows and larch forests beneath the jagged Odles mountain range, Funes has seen hundreds of visitors arrive daily, many intent on capturing sunset photographs of the fifteenth-century Santa Maddalena church framed by dramatic peaks. The surge began after the location gained popularity on Chinese social media platforms, drawing visitors from China as well as Japan and South Korea. What was once a tranquil landscape has increasingly been defined by traffic congestion, littering and tourists straying into private property.
For the village’s roughly 2,500 residents, the strain has become intolerable. Locals describe daily traffic jams on narrow roads, cars abandoned in unsuitable places and visitors trampling gardens and meadows to secure the perfect photograph. Frustration has boiled over into verbal confrontations, and there have been reports of isolated incidents of violence involving residents and visitors.
In response, the local council has decided to restrict access to the most congested road leading toward the Santa Maddalena viewpoint. From mid-May to November, the height of the tourist season, barriers will block entry to all vehicles except those belonging to residents and guests with confirmed hotel bookings. Other visitors will be required to park elsewhere and walk roughly 15 minutes up a designated footpath to reach the viewing area.
Council officials hope the enforced walk will discourage large numbers of day-trippers arriving solely for photographs. Roswitha Moret Niederwolfsgruber, the council’s chief for social welfare, said residents felt their lives had been taken over by visitors determined to get a single image regardless of the disruption caused. She said many tourists showed little respect for the community, treating the village as a backdrop rather than a place where people live.
A previous attempt to limit access failed when determined drivers followed residents through open barriers or bypassed them altogether. This time, the barriers will be placed further up the road, where there is more space to manage traffic, and staff will be deployed to enforce the restrictions. Parking fees, currently set at €4 per day, are also expected to rise, though the final figure has yet to be agreed.
The fascination with Funes is rooted in a long-running online narrative that has taken on a life of its own. Chinese influencers have promoted the Odles range as the inspiration for the mountain emoji used on smartphones, while viral videos have encouraged tourists to see the Dolomites without walking. The trend is believed to trace back to 2005, when a Chinese mobile phone operator printed an image of the Santa Maddalena church and mountain backdrop on SIM cards.
Tourism experts say many of the visitors are on tightly packed itineraries, moving rapidly between European landmarks. Carlo Zanella, president of the Italian Alpine Club walkers’ association, said some tourists pass through multiple cities in a single day, leaving little time to engage meaningfully with the places they visit.
Funes is not new to experimenting with crowd control. In 2019, the owner of the Ranuihof lodge installed a pay-per-use turnstile near the San Giovanni church at the bottom of the valley to limit the number of visitors. Elsewhere in South Tyrol, similar measures have been introduced after viral exposure, including at Seceda, where a pay-to-use gate appeared last year following overwhelming crowds.
Residents say patience is wearing thin. Local hotel workers report frequent confrontations between villagers and visitors, including instances of tourists being shouted at for crossing private land. There have even been allegations of schoolchildren throwing objects at buses carrying visitors.
The experience of Funes mirrors a wider European pattern, as small communities struggle to cope with sudden popularity driven by social media. From quiet villages in England to remote islands in Norway, destinations once valued for their calm have found themselves overwhelmed by fleeting, image-driven tourism.
Local officials insist the aim is not to shut the village off entirely, but to restore balance. By encouraging visitors to slow down, park their cars and explore on foot, the council hopes to protect both the landscape and the daily lives of those who call Funes home.
