The Venice of Lake Como, beautiful and courted by thousands of tourists, who however seem more invaders than suitors. Every weekend, hordes of visitors descend on Varennawhich is literally bursting at the seams, to admire Villa Monasteroa romantic walk on the Lovers’ walkway, a ride along the lake shore.
The streets and alleys become immense car parks which is impossible to pass through, at the station people are forced to crowd onto the platforms because they don’t fit on the platform, the queues at the pier only hundreds of meters long. A dream trip thus turns into a waking nightmare, which risks, in the long run, keeping people away wealthier touristswho pay thousands of euros for a fabulous stay.
The residents, however, have already fled. To continue to make the Pearl of Lario shine, the only solutions, for the Lecco regional councilor of Fratelli d’Italia Giacomo Zamperini, are to deseasonalize, that is, to make Varenna a destination for all seasons, not just a quick trip in spring and summer, and to increase the price of tickets for tourists. “The promotion of the area in high season and concentrated on the usual destinations is a real harakiri – claims the regional councilor –. We must aim for a deseasonalization of tourism and the distribution of presences in the area, given that Varenna is saturated. For better management of tourist flows, it is essential to create a relationship with stakeholders and private businesses, starting with tour operators and those who manage transport services in the area. We need to increase the cost of same-day tickets for tourists, with saturated itineraries and only during high season, at the same time trying to relieve the burden on the people of Lecco and residents who use the local public transport service on a daily basis. It would be an easy first step to discourage hit-and-run tourism.”
