Italian village restricts access to its Instagram-famous church – CNN

For more than a decade, images of Santa Maddalena, a small village church in northern Italy framed by jagged peaks of the Dolomite Mountains, have circulated online. But locals say it was last summer that the steady stream of visitors became a flood. Now, authorities are stepping in to slow the flow, introducing new restrictions aimed at curbing day-trip tourism and easing pressure on the village. Beginning in May, access to the village near the UNESCO World Heritage-listed church will be restricted by a barrier allowing entry only to residents and visitors staying at least one night in the area, according to the local municipality. Cars and tour buses bringing day trippers will be turned away. Those visiting for the day — up to 600 people during peak season — will instead have to walk 30 minutes or more from designated parking areas to reach the church. The municipality has yet to decide whether a shuttle service will be introduced for visitors unable to make the walk. Once the village parking lot reaches capacity, drivers will be required to park even farther away, says Peter Pernthaler, the mayor of the surrounding Funes district, who told CNN the filtered entry system
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