TRAVEL & CULTURE — A scenic mountain spot in Italy's Dolomites has been overwhelmed by tourists who travelled there in large numbers not simply to enjoy the spectacular landscape, but to buy a popular pastry that went viral on social media.
The Friedrich August refuge, located at about 2,300 metres above sea level in Val di Fassa, became an unexpected tourist attraction after food influencers began posting videos of its krapfen pastries against the backdrop of the surrounding mountains. 0
The sudden popularity has created long queues and raised fresh concerns about the impact of social-media-driven tourism on fragile mountain destinations.
A Pastry Became the Main Attraction
The pastry at the centre of the craze is a krapfen, a traditional German-style fried pastry similar to a doughnut and often filled with cream or other ingredients.
The refuge has reportedly been making the pastries for around 30 years, but their popularity changed dramatically after influencers began featuring them online.
The pastries cost up to €4 each, but the price has not stopped visitors from making the journey into the mountains specifically to get one. 1
Tourists Arrived Early to Beat the Queues
Some visitors reportedly woke up at dawn or even camped overnight in an effort to make sure they could buy the pastries before they sold out.
Large crowds formed along the narrow path leading to the mountain refuge.
Instead of the queues discouraging visitors, photographs and videos of the crowds spread across social media and attracted even more people.
Social Media Changed the Destination
The incident demonstrates how quickly social media can transform a relatively quiet location into a major tourist attraction.
A place that had previously been known primarily among hikers and mountain enthusiasts suddenly became associated with a particular food item and a highly shareable photograph.
Visitors were not necessarily travelling to experience the Dolomites themselves. For some, the pastry had become the destination.
Mountain Officials Are Concerned
The situation has angered people who believe the crowds are changing the character of the mountains.
Mountain associations and local representatives have criticised tourism driven primarily by social-media algorithms.
Marco Bussone, president of Uncem, a national organisation representing mountain communities, said the mountains should not be treated simply as a playground.
Francesco Abbruscato of the Italian Alpine Club's Veneto branch also warned that image-driven tourism is damaging the traditional experience of visiting the mountains. 2
The Bigger Problem Is Overtourism
The controversy is not really about a pastry.
The krapfen has become a symbol of a much broader problem: overtourism concentrated in specific locations that were not designed to handle huge numbers of visitors.
When thousands of people are directed toward the same viewpoint, trail, restaurant or mountain refuge, the consequences can include congestion, waste, environmental damage and pressure on local infrastructure.
The Dolomites Are Already Under Pressure
The Dolomites are among Europe's most famous mountain destinations, attracting visitors because of their dramatic peaks, hiking routes and distinctive landscapes.
That popularity brings substantial economic benefits to surrounding communities, but it also creates challenges when visitor numbers become concentrated at particular locations.
Social media can intensify that concentration by sending large numbers of people to exactly the same places at the same time.
Why Viral Tourism Is Different
Traditional tourism usually spreads visitors across different attractions, restaurants and routes.
Viral tourism can work differently.
A single video can make one location appear to be the place everyone must visit. Thousands of people may then arrive seeking the same photograph, meal or experience.
The result can be a sudden surge in visitors that local businesses and authorities have little time to prepare for.
The Algorithm Can Create Its Own Crowd
There is also a strange cycle behind viral tourism.
One person posts an attractive photograph. More people arrive to recreate it. Those visitors post their own photographs showing the crowd. The images generate additional attention, encouraging even more people to visit.
The popularity of the location can therefore become self-reinforcing.
Ironically, the very crowd created by social media can eventually destroy the peaceful atmosphere that originally made the destination attractive.
Visitors Still Have a Responsibility
Tourists are not wrong for wanting to experience beautiful places or try local food.
But visiting fragile environments requires more than simply following what is trending online.
Travellers should respect local rules, avoid damaging trails, dispose of waste properly and understand that mountain environments have limits.
A viral location is still someone's home, workplace or protected environment.
Local Businesses Face a Difficult Balance
The sudden popularity can also create opportunities for local businesses.
More visitors can mean more sales, employment and revenue for restaurants, accommodation providers, transport operators and other businesses.
But an uncontrolled influx can also create problems for the same businesses.
Staff can become overwhelmed, supplies can run out and the quality of the visitor experience can deteriorate.
Tourism Needs More Than Viral Attention
A destination's long-term success should not depend entirely on its ability to become popular on social media.
Mountain communities need tourism that encourages visitors to stay longer, explore responsibly and support a wider range of local businesses.
That approach is more sustainable than concentrating thousands of people around one viral attraction.
What This Means for the Future of Travel
The incident in the Dolomites offers a glimpse of a growing challenge for the global tourism industry.
Social media has made it easier than ever to discover beautiful places, but it has also made it easier for huge crowds to descend on them almost overnight.
Authorities may increasingly need visitor-management systems, better information campaigns and limits at particularly sensitive locations.
Our Perspective
There is nothing wrong with travelling into the mountains for a good pastry.
The problem begins when thousands of people start treating a fragile natural environment as a backdrop for the same social-media photograph.
The lesson from the Dolomites is simple: when an algorithm turns a quiet mountain destination into a global attraction, responsible tourism has to move faster than the crowd.
Conclusion
A mountain refuge in Italy's Dolomites has been overwhelmed by visitors after its krapfen pastries became popular through social media.
The incident has highlighted the growing influence of food influencers and online algorithms on tourism, while local mountain organisations warn that viral tourism can damage the environment and undermine the traditional experience of visiting the mountains. 3
The story is ultimately about more than a pastry. It is about what happens when the power of social media sends thousands of people toward the same beautiful place.
As travel becomes increasingly shaped by viral content, the challenge will be ensuring that popularity does not destroy the very places people travelled to see.
Daily Touch Insights Editorial Team
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