Officials controls access on Italy’s Amalfi Coast Drive

Italy’s Amalfi Coast is popular among tourists renting vehicles and driving along its road. It is considered one of the bucket-list items for tourists visiting the country.

Aside from being undeniably beautiful, the place is also rich in history. One can travel some portions of the road that was built centuries ago by the Romans. However, it is also frightening as the drive is perched high above the water on limestone cliffs with numerous hairpin turns on already-tight roadways. The safety of the place is even more impaired with the congestion, resulting in near-constant traffic jams.

To resolve this, Italian officials went on a plan to limit the number of tourists driving the Amalfi Coast road. The Italian government said that a 22-mile stretch between Vietri sul Mare and Positano will operate on a system based on license plate numbers. Plates ending in odd numbers can only use the road between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. on odd-numbered days, and plates with even-numbered-endings can use the road on even-numbered days.

That includes the large tourist sightseeing vans that also populate the road, which at times narrow to a single lane as it passes through 13 different towns.

The rule will be in place only during the tourist season on weekends from last June 15 to September 30, and every day during the month of August. Holy Week leading up to Easter Sunday in 2023 will also be included.

According to Angela Infante, deputy mayor of Vietri sul Mare, as told in CNN, that the problem started again this year. People are trapped at home as they can’t drive on weekends. Residents have to drive incredibly slowly because there are so many cars, and often it’s completely blocked. Apart from anything else, an ambulance would have a hard time to penetrate, thus they have to limit the heavy traffic.

Antonio Ilardi, the president of Federalberghi Salerno, a tourist organization made up of hotel owners, called the plan “a disaster. It discourages tourists. It makes it impossible to stay for an odd number of days. If you arrive on Wednesday, you can’t leave on Thursday. It’s not like you can send your rental car back on Amazon.”

For more information: https://www.travelpulse.com/news/impacting-travel/officials-limit-tourist-access-on-italys-iconic-amalfi-coast-drive.html

Author: Deb Davad