Imagine you’re taking in the view of the beautiful Dolomites mountains in picturesque Italy, when suddenly, out of nowhere, you are stopped by a turnstile that demands Euros to go any further.
This is already happening in the alpine meadows of northern Italy, where fed-up locals have had enough.
Annoyed at the masses of tourists angling for the perfect Instagram shot, many farmers and landowners have installed metal turnstiles and ticket booths on popular mountain trails that pass through private land.
The way the locals see it, this helps cut down on crowds and reimburses them for tourists trampling their fields, scaring the livestock, and often leaving trash on the paths.
“It’s not about being unfriendly,” says Carlo Merano, a third-generation dairy farmer near Val di Funes. “It’s about survival. My cows don’t eat hashtags.”
At several hotspots, gates equipped with QR codes and contactless payment options have been installed, ushering in a new era of what locals are calling the “selfie tax.”
As with the rest of Europe, overtourism has become a real issue.
Farmers report fields of wildflowers destroyed, drone noise spooking cattle, and an alarming rise in trespassing and litter.
“I woke up to a couple posing nude in my pasture last August,” recalls Maria Gallo, a cheesemaker near Cortina d’Ampezzo. “I didn’t know whether to call the police or offer them a brochure.”
Some enterprising locals have even formed cooperatives to collectively manage access points, maintain trails, and keep the land clean.
Not everyone is thrilled. Critics say the move commodifies nature and penalizes budget travelers. “Next, they’ll charge you for breathing mountain air,” grumbled one hiker from Berlin on Reddit.
Still, many locals say this is about balance, not exclusion.