Helen Reddy was an Australian pop singer from the 1970s who would’ve been considered a pioneer of female empowerment (had there been such a term back then). Reddy’s hit I Am Woman leaned on the same pointed lyrics that made Madonna and Katy Perry so popular decades later. Though I Am Woman is Reddy’s most famous anthem, another of her chart-topping hits floats through my brain today: Leave Me Alone. It’s the song the residents of tiny Santa Maddalena di Funes should be singing in the streets of their picturesque mountain village.
If I asked you to describe a “village” – a term we Americans don’t use very often – what would that image include? Mine would start with a small cluster of buildings, both residential and commercial, surrounding a cobblestone town square. The buildings would look quaint and simple, like throwbacks to earlier times. Narrow roads would lead into the square from the more sparsely populated surrounds. You’d find a lake or two nearby, and clusters of trees here and there. In the background, foothills or majestic snow-covered mountaintops. And right in the middle of it all, a charming church or some other public building rising above the rest.
I’ve just described Santa Maddalena to a tee. This tiny, picturesque gathering, nestled on the eastern slopes of the Dolomite Mountains in Northern Italy, is the stuff of postcards and jigsaw puzzles. There’s not much to it but the setting speaks for itself. And the little church – St. John in Ranui – seems perfectly placed beside the more nondescript buildings. Santa Maddalena is so attractive it draws 600 visitors a day during the peak travel season.
February is not peak travel season in the Dolomites but the Winter Olympics are taking place just a couple hours from Santa Maddalena. No doubt some of those sports fans will make there way over for a selfie. And therein lies the problem. Tiny Santa Maddalena simply can’t handle hundreds of tourists. If they keep coming, the photo I led with really will be too good to be true.
Were it not for the Chinese, Santa Maddalena might still be relatively undisturbed. One of China’s mobile phone companies included an image of the village on its SIM card and suddenly its customers just had to know where to find Santa Maddalena. A 2013 iPhone iOS update included images of the nearby mountains, adding to the draw. Now village officials are considering the unthinkable: restrictions.
It’s a move similar to what’s happening for the first time at the Trevi Fountain in Rome. If you drive to Santa Maddalena you may now be stopped on the outskirts of town, where you’ll leave your car in (gasp!) a parking lot. If you want to walk through town, you’ll have to purchase a ticket. One enterprising resident added a turnstile at the edge of his fields so he can charge those who want to cross over. Suddenly I’m having visions of food trucks and souvenir stands. How sad.
The plight of Santa Maddalena reminds me of those once-a-year lists you find in publications like U.S. News & World Report, where towns across America are ranked according to so-called “quality of life” criteria. Whether the schools, the parks, the clean air, or feeling safe in the streets, your own little corner of the world might suddenly be declared a top-five place to live. And that, my friends, is the kiss of death. Now you’ve been discovered, and everyone has to see what the fuss is all about (or at least go visit for a selfie). The masses throng to your backyard and some never leave. A year or two later – surprise, surprise – you’re no longer “top-five”.
Credit the residents of Santa Maddalena: they’re coming up with creative ways to discourage “over-tourism”. In a particularly bold move, they’re going to require an overnight stay to be able to walk the streets, so that tourists actually give to the local economy instead of just taking that selfie. IMHO all they really need to do is continue to be known as “Santa Maddalena” on the web. You won’t find much if you search with those words. As for “Santa Magdalena?” That’ll get you there. Even if you’ll find a quaint village of people singing Leave Me Alone.
Some content sourced from the CNN Travel article, “Italian village restricts access to its Instagram-famous church”, and Wikipedia, “the free encyclopedia”.
Life In A Word 
I don’t blame the town from wanting to charge. Too many visitors isn’t always a good thing.
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Great post! So many idyllic spots are being over run by tourists and influencers wanting to get the perfect picture and experience.
I can’t blame them. I have watched tv shows and movies and at times said: where is that? I want to go there.
It is my sister’s dream to visit the village featured in Doc Martin 🙂
Blessings!
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Selfies. I think that is a big part of the problem. I’ve been at the rim of the Grand Canyon at sunset and been surrounded by people vying for space so that they can take selfies – not really photos of the canyon. UNESCO says “The tsunami of people looking for a picture perfect social media post is damaging our cultural and natural landmarks.”
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I constantly wonder if those who take selfies or who video live events have forgotten how to simply put down the electronics and enjoy the moment?
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Well Dave, that is hardly fair and I’m sure the village folks equate any invasion of tourists as being akin to an invasion of locusts, or at the very least, the cyclical cicada brood that emerges every seven years. A high school friend of mine moved to Honeoye Falls, NY. Google describes it as “a village within the town of Mendon in Monroe County, New York, United States. The population was 2,706 at the 2020 census.”
It is quaint and its biggest feature is the waterfall and it is very picturesque. The residents have been successful fighting off the invasion of franchises like Dunkin for years and so far been successful, far more successful than many cities in SE Michigan whose residents don’t want Sheetz, a 24-hour convenience store/eatery to infiltrate their respective cities due to the noise, extra traffic and lights (it’s lit up like a Christmas tree 24/7/365). But their protestations fall on deaf ears as one Sheetz after another is opening up – why? They are deemed by the local powers-that-be as good for business.
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Our small town is charming but perhaps not charming enough, and too far off the beaten path to be overwhelmed by tourists. That’s just fine with us 🙂
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I don’t blame you for feeling that way.
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That is an ingenious solution to keeping the tourists away….but they should probably have a law against camping too! Loved the song! That’s an oldie – haven’t heard it since the 70’s. The village is very picturesque when I googled.
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Netflix produced a credible biographical movie on Helen Reddy a few years ago. I came away having even more respect for her than when I just knew her music.
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I will look for it.
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I did have this spot on my list for our trip with the caveat that they are trying to keep crowds out. I can understand if I was living in that town. People in New Hampshire did something like that too to combat the self over tourism. I’m glad I saw the Trevi fountain before that, seems to take the fun out of it.
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I get your dilemma, Lyssy. I’d want to see Santa Maddalena myself were I nearby, though I’d honestly be interested in exploring the church and other landmarks. Hope you get there!
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Such an interesting (and sad) take on over-tourism. It’s wild how a place can go from peaceful to overwhelmed just because it goes viral. Santa Maddalena really is a reminder that some places deserve to stay quiet and lived-in, not turned into selfie stops.
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I completely agree. It reminds me of places I’ve seen in the past, that are now “disturbed” by over-tourism. I’d rather just remember them for how they looked before, instead of seeing them again in their current state.
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Absolutely, Dave. It’s bittersweet, loving to see these places thrive but sad when the charm gets lost to crowds and commercialization. Sometimes it’s better to cherish the memory than chase the hype.
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It’s no fun to try to live your life with tourists constantly tromping around. Good for them for trying to preserve its quietness and beauty. Let’s face it, not all tourists are respectful.
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The first village I thought of was Greenwich Village in the heart of New York. 😂
Santa Maddalena is really going to be swamped with tourists when your post goes viral!
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I’d say the culture defines Greenwich more than the environs. And yes, if this blog had more of a following I’d stay far, far away from this topic!
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I think the village should require a letter of introduction from each tourist’s local Catholic Bishop. All of us live in a Catholic diocese (whether we’re Catholic or not). And the local church there can be the gatekeeper. They have access to an ancient worldwide beaurocracy so it seems a shame to not take advantage. 😁
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I like it, J P! Why not make the means of enforcement as “charming” as the village itself, right? St. John would applaud you for coming up with the idea.
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