Landowners in the Italian Dolomites have taken matters into their own hands by installing a turnstile and charging tourists €5 to access a popular hiking trail on Seceda Mountain.
Euronews reported that the move comes after an extraordinary influx of visitors, with reports of 8,000 people walking the path in a single day last week. The picturesque trail, renowned for its dramatic views of the spiky Odle Peaks, has gained immense popularity on social media platforms, where tourists queue up for Instagram-worthy photographs.
Local farmers cite extensive environmental damage, trails littered with rubbish, and trampled meadows as key motivations behind the fee. Initially installed in early July, as what the local newspaper Il Dolomiti described as a “cry for help,” Puez-Odle Nature Park authorities temporarily deactivated the turnstile before reinstating it when landowners received no response from official channels. The fee applies to all visitors except children and residents, with payment options including both cash and card transactions.
Tensions Rise Between Locals And Tourists In The Dolomites
The Dolomites Val Gardena Tourism Association has stationed staff at the turnstile to inform hikers that payment remains optional. They actively direct visitors to an alternative route that bypasses the gate while still providing access to the famous viewpoint. Plans for an information sign clarifying the private nature of the initiative are underway. Some locals point to Apple as an unwitting contributor to the area’s overwhelming popularity.
The tech company featured Seceda Mountain as the official wallpaper for its iOS 7 operating system a decade ago and showcased it again during the iPhone 15 launch. This global exposure reportedly triggered a massive increase in visitors primarily interested in capturing photos rather than experiencing the natural environment. The overtourism crisis in South Tyrol ranks alongside Venice as one of Italy’s most severely impacted regions, according to research from the Demoskopika Institute.
