The Italian Alpine village of Funes, located close to the Austrian border in South Tyrol, has gained international attention since a post of the picture-perfect town went viral on social media. In order to limit the impact of its rising tourist numbers on locals, barriers will be installed during the summer peak season, allowing only residents to access some of the most popular spots by car.
While the situation has gotten worse over the years, Funes’ success isn’t exactly new. Allegedly, the town’s popularity amongst Chinese tourists in particular would be due to a phone operator who, in 2005, put a picture of the photogenic Santa Maddalena church of Funes and its mountainous background on its sim cards. Some even believe that the town was the main inspiration behind the famous mountain emoji that can be found on smartphones.
Whether or not that is true, we will probably never discover, but over the past few years, Funes has attracted thousands of day-trippers looking to take the perfect picture. Ever since then, tension between locals and tourists has been growing.
Recently, locals of the town of 2,500 residents have been known to complain about traffic jams, trespassing, and littering. Anonymous sources have even reported how they saw locals swear at tourists and schoolchildren attack tourists on buses.
“They want that photo at all costs. They have no respect, walking into people’s gardens and leaving their cars where they want … we are not living anymore”, Roswitha Moret Niederwolfsgruber, the council chief for social welfare, told The Times.
In order to address those problems and to reinstall peace at Funes, barriers had already been installed on the road leading to the village some three years ago. However, those roadblocks weren’t respected by tourists, who simply drove by.
@kathyktang Val di Funes – wow… what a dream An absolute must visit – the hikes offer some of the most beautiful views I’ve ever seen, I’m still in awe!! There’s something truly special about the colors here. The Church of St. Magdalena is also so serene If you get the chance, take a moment to just soak it all in #valdifunes #dolomites #italytravel ♬ as the world caves in slowed – himura
Ways to deal with overtourism
Funes is not the first small town to be struggling with the consequences of overtourism. In 2024, for example, a black mesh barrier was erected in the Japanese town of Fujikawaguchiko to block a view of Mount Fuji and discourage tourists from jaywalking and swamping the area with badly parked cars and litter, and was later removed once tourist numbers had gone down. And in 2025, four farmers in the mountainous plateau of Seceda – located not far from Funes – started to ask a tourist fee on a public footpath as a way of protesting overtourism.
