We won't be exhausted like the Canary Islands, where the inhabitants - tens of thousands - have taken to the streets to say enough to the wild onslaught of visitors, but even in Sardinia there are signs of overtourism, and they are worrying.

When in the space of a couple of months, with a boom from mid-July to a few days after August 15th, in several places it is difficult to go to the seaside because you cannot find a car park or a small space to place an umbrella and towel; clubs and restaurants are perpetually sold out and it is impossible to have an aperitif or dinner; to visit a monument there are kilometre-long queues; the Municipalities are unable to cope with the abnormal increase in waste; in short, when summer turns into a nightmare for residents, visitors and administrators, then something is wrong.

«There is a problem, and it must be managed», underlines Tourism Councilor Franco Cuccureddu, «we have probably not yet reached the saturation limit, but we are close to it. The indicators are the many ordinances of the mayors - which are certainly not made lightly - on the beaches with limited numbers and limited parking, in addition to the infrastructures (such as sewage systems and purification plants) that go haywire. We must preserve our natural and cultural assets, and not be too happy if we have an increase in attendance and arrivals but at the same time the profitability of the sector drops."

Cristina Cossu