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The breathtaking Italian Dolomites have become the latest victim of overtourism, with hundreds of visitors cramming onto mountain trails and waiting in snaking lines just to snap the same picture.
One video shared on Instagram shows a seemingly endless single-file line winding through the mountains as tourists wait for their chance to reach the Tre Cime viewpoint and capture the coveted photo.
The footage, captured July 22, quickly went viral and sparked fresh debate over the impact of mass tourism on one of Italy’s most celebrated natural landscapes.
“We manage to destroy the beauty of any place,” one X commenter wrote in response to the footage.
Another offered an even harsher assessment: “A slaughterhouse. We are the cancer of the world.”
Authorities say local services are already operating at full capacity as tourists pack the streets and trails leading toward Tre Cime di lavaredo, the area’s famous “Three Peaks.”
The summer rush has hit the iconic jagged mountain particularly hard, as sightseers flock to the postcard-perfect destination in hopes of capturing the sweeping Alpine views.
Earlier this month, ALA news reported that more than 300 tourists were left waiting for shuttle buses from Misurina to Tifugio Auronzo, the main starting point for the hike around the Three Peaks.
Demand was so high that officials added an eighth shuttle to the seven already in service, but the extra capacity still was not enough to keep up with the surge of visitors.
The mounting pressure has prompted local authorities to tighten access to the popular destination, including requiring motorists heading toward the peaks to reserve and pay for entry in advance.
Still, the latest scenes suggest the measures have done little to curb the sheer number of tourists eager to make this trip.
Beyond the summer hiking rush, the Dolomites are also one of Italy’s premier skiing destinations, drawing winter crowds to their vast network of mountain runs each year.
The region has a long Olympic legacy, first welcoming the Winter Games in 1956 before returning to the international stage as part of the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics earlier this year.
In the warmer months, the snow-covered ski runs reveal hiking paths that wind through the towering peaks, drawing visitors eager to explore the landscape on foot.
The mountains draw skiers throughout the winer, but the warmer months open thousands of miles of hiking trails, with more than 140 lifts carrying visitors toward the elevated viewpoints.
The crowds are now forcing officails to confront how many visitors the mountain region can realistically absorb without sacrificing the experience that made it famous in the first place.
The Dolomites have long been celebrated for their dramatic limestone peaks, sweeping valleys and relatively untouched Alpine scenery.
But as social media sends more travelers chasing the same picture-perfect views, that sense of escape is becoming increasingly difficult to find.
For visitors hoping for a quiet moment beneath the Three Peaks this summer, the view may still be spectacular, but they’ll have to wait their turn.
