Tourists on pastry quest overrun scenic spot in Italian mountains
Wednesday, 19 August 2026
Warm-up
- Have you ever queued a long time for food or a drink?
- What places near you became famous because of social media?
- Do you like trying local food when you travel? Why or why not?
Vocabulary
- influencer
- a person on social media who can make many people interested in something
- refuge
- a simple mountain hut that gives food and shelter to visitors
- krapfen
- a sweet fried pastry, like a doughnut, with cream or jam
- algorithm
- a set of rules that a website uses to choose what people see
- overnight
- during the night, from evening to morning
- selfie
- a photo you take of yourself, usually with a phone
- overtourism
- too many visitors in one place, causing problems
- panoramic
- with a very wide view of a place
Reading
Hundreds of tourists crowded the Friedrich August refuge at 2,300 metres in the Dolomites, in Val di Fassa. Many came only for a creamy pastry called krapfen, costing up to €4, wanting the taste more than the panoramic view.
Videos by food influencers showed people eating with mountain views and drew long queues on a narrow path. Some visitors woke at dawn or camped overnight to buy one before they ran out. If you arrive late, you might miss a krapfen.
Local groups, including Marco Bussone of Uncem and the Veneto branch of the Italian Alpine Club, warned that image-led trips hurt the spirit of the mountains. They say algorithms push crowds to the same beauty spots and create overtourism where people take a quick selfie and leave.
Staff at the refuge say they have baked krapfen for 30 years without such chaos. Similar scenes happened in Roccaraso in 2025 after a TikTok star promoted its ski slopes.
Comprehension
- Where did the crowds go in the Dolomites?
- What food were visitors trying to buy, and how much could it cost?
- Who helped attract the crowds to the refuge?
- What did some visitors do to make sure they got the pastry?
- What problems did local groups warn about?
Grammar focus
First conditional
Use If + present simple, then will + base verb to talk about possible future results. (Examples constructed.)
- If influencers post the view, people will come.
- If visitors camp overnight, supplies will run low.
Grammar exercise
Complete each sentence with the correct verb form.
- If visitors arrive early, they (buy) ___ the pastry.
- If influencers post a video, crowds (gather) ___ on the path.
- If staff warn people, the refuge (manage) ___ the visitors.
- If people camp nearby, paths (suffer) ___ more damage.
- If algorithms push places, overtourism (increase) ___.
Discussion
- Should social media promote hidden places, or keep them quiet? Why?
- How can a town manage queues without stopping visitors?
- What rules would you set for tourists in the mountains?
- Would you travel far for one special food? Explain.
Vocabulary, reading, and exercises with instant feedback