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Yahoo
31-07-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Rockfall prompts evacuation from popular hiking trails in Italian Dolomites
Hikers have been evacuated from the Italian Dolomites after multiple rockfalls, causing the immediate closure of popular routes and trails. The rockfalls occurred over the weekend on western and eastern sides of the Cima Falkner mountain. The entire summit was affected by 'morphogenetic phenomenon', or erosion and weathering, according to a statement by Trento council. Cima Falkner is undergoing permafrost degradation, which is the thawing of ground that has been frozen for a long period of time, causing rocks to tumble from the summit. An inspection by local authorities found that the mountain is subject to an ongoing landslide with the potential for the situation to worsen. Investigators found that the largest detachment happened during the night between Saturday 26 July and Sunday 27 July. On Wednesday 30 July, the local council said that small collapses were continuing on the summit of the mountain, which they described as 'opening like a flower.' Mountain routes 305, 315, 316 and 331 were closed while experts assessed their safety. The mayors of Tre Ville and Ville d'Anaunia also issued emergency ordinances on Monday to prohibit access to the trails starting from the Grostè Pass. Trails 315 and 316 have since reopened after authorities concluded continuing rockfalls would not directly affect these routes. These trails are the two most popular for walkers in the area. Route 316 leads to the Tuckett Refuge, which sits at the foot of the Castelletto Inferiore: one of the most famous peaks in the Brenta Dolomites. The Trento Fire Brigade are using drones to assess the erosion of the mountain, finding wide cracks on the rock surface. 'The fractures, previously filled with ice, are now partially empty, indicating a change in the morphology of Cima Falkner,' the council said. 'This evolution is also linked to the degradation of permafrost, an element that at high altitudes plays an important role as a 'glue' for the rock mass.' Italian scientists have warned that extreme heat, caused by the changing climate, is melting the vital frost. 'Mountains, by definition, are destined to collapse – they won't remain as we know them for ever. What's different now is that we're seeing a clear acceleration of these processes, driven by heat and extreme weather events intensified by the climate crisis,' Piero Carlesi, president of the scientific committee of the Italian Alpine Club (CAI), told La Repubblica. He added: 'Never before have we seen such an incredible increase in rockfall.' The council added that the total unstable mass on the summit could potentially be around 70,000 cubic metres, although the collapse of the entire slope is not expected. Around 36,000 cubic metres fell over the weekend. The rockfalls come after concerns over a surge in injuries and deaths in the Italian mountains, as the number of visitors surge in the region this year. So far in 2025, more than 80 hikers have died on the Italian Alps and Dolomites, Italian Alpine Rescue told The Telegraph, with many slipping or falling to their deaths on steep paths. Meanwhile, the walking trails have become so overcrowded that farmers have instigated visitor levies at some popular the daily Crossword
Irish Examiner
30-07-2025
- Climate
- Irish Examiner
Hundreds evacuated after series of rockfalls in Italy's Brenta Dolomites
Hundreds of hikers and tourists were evacuated and dozens of trails closed after a series of rockfalls on the slopes of Cima Falkner in the Brenta Dolomites in the north of Italy, as experts warned of a sharp rise in landslides in the area linked to thawing permafrost. In recent days, visitors reported hearing loud booms followed by rockfalls and thick clouds of dust rising from Monte Pelmo in the Val di Zoldo after rocky pinnacles broke away and crashed down into the valley below in the municipality of Selva di Cadore in Italy's Belluno province. Another collapse was recorded on Cima Falkner, where experts say the entire area is undergoing a process of erosion linked to rising temperatures and the wider climate emergency. No one was injured and the falling debris came to a stop higher up the mountain. 'Multiple rockfalls have occurred on both the western and eastern slopes of Cima Falkner in the Brenta Group,' read a statement by authorities in the region of Trentino-Alto Adige. 'As a result, all climbing routes and hiking trails directly affected by the area have been immediately closed. 'All hikers in the area have been evacuated. We urge everyone to pay maximum attention and strictly follow the ordinances to ensure their own safety.' Following reports of rockfalls, a technical inspection was conducted on Tuesday by the geological service with the support of a helicopter unit, which confirmed that 'the entire summit is affected by an ongoing geomorphological process, likely linked to permafrost degradation'. Rockfalls have always occurred in the Dolomites, but experts this year warned of a striking rise in the number of collapses, driven by extreme heat and weather events intensified by the climate crisis. 'Never before have we seen such an incredible increase in rockfalls,' Piero Carlesi, president of the scientific committee of the Italian Alpine Club (CAI), told la Repubblica. 'Landslides are on the rise, and the main cause is the climate crisis. There's no doubt about it.' He added: 'Mountains, by definition, are destined to collapse – they won't remain as we know them for ever. What's different now is that we're seeing a clear acceleration of these processes, driven by heat and extreme weather events intensified by the climate crisis.' Cold temperatures, causing water seeping into rock fractures to freeze, acted as a kind of glue, holding the rocks together. But now, Carlesi said, with rising temperatures, that glue was disappearing and fractured rock was increasingly breaking off and tumbling down gullies. 'It's happening more and more often,' he said. Last year, Italian scientists who took part in a campaign launched by the environmentalist group Legambiente said the Marmolada glacier — the largest and most symbolic in the Dolomites — could melt completely by 2040. Their report said Marmolada was losing between 7cm and 10cm of depth a day and that over the past five years, 70 hectares (173 acres) of its surface had disappeared. Since the beginning of scientific measurements in 1888, the Marmolada glacier has withdrawn by 1,200 metres in an 'irreversible coma'. In 2022, a collapse on the Marmolada mountain sent an avalanche of ice, snow and rock downslope and killed 11 people. Erosion and rockfalls are on the rise not only in the Dolomites but across the entire Alpine range, according to mountaineers and experts. In late June 2025, Mont Blanc experienced a record-breaking heatwave with temperatures remaining above zero for an extended period at high altitudes, including the summit. Bernard Vion, a 66-year-old mountain guide, has been walking and climbing in the French Alps around Pralognan-la-Vanoise since he was a child and accompanies visitors on climbs. He said rockfalls and other dangers caused by climate change had complicated work for him and his colleagues. 'We have never seen rock falls of such intensity and regularity before. The permafrost, which is like a kind of cement holding the rocks together, is melting, meaning they have no cohesion and they collapse,' he said. Vion opened his phone to show a message from another guide with pictures of a large rockfall near a mountain refuge at about 2,800 metres above Pralognan-la-Vanoise on Monday. 'He was really shocked. He said he never expected it to happen there,' Vion said. 'For several years now we have had to develop the ability to observe these phenomenon and spot the warning signs. In some cases we've had to totally modify our itineraries to reduce the risk to our clients. Even for us guides this is difficult and I worry about amateur climbers who don't have the same mountain culture.' He said 'of course' this was due to climate breakdown. 'You'd have to be blind not to see it. Anyone who doubts this should come to the mountains.' — The Guardian
Local Italy
10-05-2025
- Local Italy
Inside Italy: Could Venice-style entry fee schemes solve Italy's overtourism woes?
Inside Italy is our weekly look at some of the news, talking points and gossip from Italy that you might not have heard about. It's published each Saturday and members can receive it directly to their inbox, by going to their newsletter preferences or adding their email to the sign-up box in this article. The picturesque town of Sirmione, on the banks of Italy's Lake Garda, has made national headlines in recent days after it was overwhelmed by tens of thousands of visitors last weekend. Known for its thermal springs and picture-perfect old town, the northern Italy destination was visited by around 75,000 people over the weekend – more than nine times its number of residents (8,000). Videos widely shared on social media showed large groups of tourists cramming Sirmione's streets, as well as the narrow path leading to its famous 13th-century fortress. Some video clips also showed cars and local buses as they became entangled amidst gridlocked crowds. After last weekend's events, Sirmione's Safety Councillor Massimo Padovan said that authorities are considering 'an entry fee for day-trippers' along the lines of Venice's contested ticketing system. 'The idea would be to exclude residents, workers, second-home owners, and 'overnight' tourists [from the entry fee]' Padovan said, adding that the scheme would rely on a 'simple, digital' payment platform. Sirmione is not the first Italian tourist destination to consider introducing a Venice-style entry fee system to manage tourist flows and reduce crowds. Naples, which was visited by nearly 15 million people in 2024, is also mulling over the idea of charging day-trippers a fee to access the city amid growing complaints from locals about overcrowding. In December last year, councillor Gennaro Esposito, from Italy's centrist party Azione, proposed the rollout of a €5 entry fee to access Naples' historic centre 'during periods of high tourist influx, such as Christmas." The proposal is currently being examined by Naples' city hall. Meanwhile, Auronzo di Cadore, in the northern Veneto region, is drafting plans to set up an online 'booking system' to access the Tre Cime di Lavaredo – one of the best-known mountain groups in the Alps – as the destination continues to see up to 8,000 visitors a day. 'Regulating access is the only solution," Renato Frigo, president of the Veneto branch of the Italian Alpine Club (CAI), said. 'We need to relieve the entire road system around Lake Misurina, which becomes unlivable in the summer, as well as during the holidays when tourist access reaches its peak,' he added. As multiple tourist destinations around the country eye up the possibility of charging tourists for access, public opinion seems to be split on the issue. While many residents and local officials in tourist hotspots advocate for entry fees as a means to alleviate the pressure of overtourism, critics argue that such measures would do little to reduce visitor numbers and risk transforming historic cities and towns into "theme parks". Several hospitality industry operators and tourist associations have also raised concerns that ticketing systems may be used by cash-strapped town halls as an underhand way to boost revenue. Though there's no clear evidence yet that entry fees can significantly reduce tourist numbers (and there surely isn't any in Venice), I am not entirely against the idea of charging a small sum to access popular destinations. Dozens of cities and towns around Italy have suffered under the pressure of overtourism in recent months, with local infrastructure often failing to cope with tens of thousands of visitors. As local authorities look for ways to make tourism more sustainable, ticketing systems may yet prove useful in managing visitor flows if paired with other measures including improved transport and mobility infrastructure, and the promotion of lesser-known areas and alternative itineraries. I do, however, have major doubts over the practical enforcement of the proposed entry fee schemes. How exactly would these systems work in locations with dozens of entry points? Would authorities install turnstiles at each entry? And how many local officers would it take for these measures to run smoothly? I also have concerns over what exactly the money raised through these entry fee schemes would be spent on – something that no local authority has taken the care to explain so far. Would it be reinvested in works to improve tourist services, public transport and cultural offerings? Or would it be just a way to replenish city coffers? In other words, dove andranno a finire i soldi? (where will the money go?) Inside Italy is our weekly look at some of the news and talking points in Italy that you might not have heard about. It's published each Saturday and members can receive it directly to their inbox by going to their newsletter preferences or adding their email to the sign-up box in this article.
