Thousands of tourists wreaked havoc at ski resort (2 photos + 3 videos)
The small Italian town of Roccaroso in the Apennines felt the power of social networks. Popular blogger La Crescenzo called it "a wonderful place" and as a result, 10 thousand tourists rushed there on 260 buses, which created real chaos. Moreover, the population of the town itself is no more than 2000 people. 
Tourists bought up cheap offers on the Internet for one-day tours for 20 euros on an all-inclusive basis. Or they got there in their own cars. Especially since Roccaroso is only a two-hour drive from Naples. But it ended up being a real hell on the roads and ski slopes, as the mountain roads were clogged with buses and cars, and the town was littered with rubbish.
Disgruntled tourists expecting a winter wonderland instead found snow-free slopes, packed restaurants and crowds of people.
Many were reportedly inspired to head to the mountain town after influencer Rita De Crescenzo visited last week and filled her page with content promoting the resort. 
The Neapolitan TikTok star, who has amassed 1.7 million followers on the platform thanks to her "mafia mom" persona, shared videos of her family frolicking in the snow during her trip and called Roccaraso "a beautiful place."
De Crescenzo said she felt no responsibility for the so-called "invasion" of tourists, before adding that "thanks to my videos" "maybe twice as many" tourists will be visiting the resort next weekend.
"The results have been extraordinary. The videos have had over a million views," she said, adding that the people who follow her and come to the city "are real families, people who want to give their children a unique experience."
Instead of the "white weekend" that many tourists had hoped for when booking budget tours, it turned out that local authorities simply could not cope with the influx of people.
According to one eyewitness, huge crowds of people flooded the city, and children on makeshift sleds "knocked people down like bowling pins" as they raced down the mountainside.
A 20-year-old tourist named Gaia described how her weekend turned into a nightmare.
"Unfortunately, it went badly because no one expected so many people to come. Restaurants had their doors closed in our faces when we tried to ask for a table, and we could stand for hours in the toilets," but according to the girl, the tourists themselves were also to blame, using Roccaraso as a picnic spot and "mistreating" this beautiful place.
Local authorities in L'Aquila responded to the chaos by holding an emergency meeting and imposing restrictions on buses entering the city.
Roccaraso Mayor Francesco Di Donato announced that he was banning buses from parking on the nearby Viale Napoli, where the parking lot outside the city had become a popular stopover and led to roadblocks.
He called for bus checks and even army support to "protect" the city from a similar influx of people next weekend, according to news outlet Leggo .
