There he lands about twelve thousand people every three hours, meaning an average of 50 thousand per day. Every day.
Capri Island is the place in Italy with the highest tourist density: exceeding Rome, Venice, Florence, or Taormina and Porto Cervo, writes the Italian press.
Of course, it's a unique place. But the situation is unsustainable and, year after year, it becomes more and more dramatic. Already in the middle of May, the tails from the funicular that connects Marina Grande to the Little Square in the center were stretched to the pier. And the climb and descent from hydroglisers-and from ships-required, even on working days, a lot of patience and ability to make your way among thousands of people. It was also impossible to walk on the streets around Via Camerelle, besieged by compact groups of tourists descended from cruise ships and driven by relentless guides.
And thank God that the Capri City Hall has provided providential defibrillators on the most difficult routes, which give the feeling that, in the middle of this chaos, if someone would feel bad, at least there would be the possibility to intervene promptly.
A study ordered to the economist Antonio Preiti from the University of Florence reveals that in recent years, an increase in arrivals of over 24% (up to almost 3 million) has been registered on the island of Capri and that 91% of visitors are hikers coming in the morning and is leaving in the afternoon. A tour, a look at the amazing landscapes, an ice cream (but not always), and many selfies. Twelve thousand lands every three hours and a tourist density index of over 1,200 people per square kilometer, when the minimum acceptable threshold would be a thousand, in the case of locations on the continent and not on the islands.
Capri began to fight against excessive tourism, while Anacapri stands aside and looks without too much conviction this crusade. However, the “Sus” City Hall is just as besieged by the presence that compromise the profile of a charming village in this corner of the island. Which during the day is chaotic and in the evening it is empty, with the only exception of the hotel center and internationally renowned restaurants that revolve around Jumeirah Capri Palace.
Aval, Mayor Falco, who resolutely tried to obtain more powers to manage the emergency situation, does not give up. He has promoted and is a signatory of the Amalfi Charter together with 25 other Italian mayors who face the same problems as him – among those in Positano, Taormina, Polignano A Mare, Curtain – asking for free hand and especially laws to stop landing and negotiate with maritime transport companies. The problem, he reminds, is simple: the law on “beggars”, the landings, is old and, therefore, refers to ships with a small capacity compared to that of the current hydroglisors and ferries.
The mayor of Capri addressed Daniel Santatché, the Minister of Tourism, but did not receive concrete answers. So he relaunched the discussion and in the next few days he will meet with the Minister of Interior, Matteo Piacedosi. Because the problem is in the field of public safety.
Meanwhile, he organized two queues at the funicular: one, the fast one, is reserved for residents and those with hotel reservations, while “one -day tourists” are placed at another tail. He also planned a strong hostess service, which will supervise the chaos of Marina Grande and the perimeter
