Scenic spot in Italian mountains overrun by tourists seeking the perfect pastry
A $4 Donut-Style Pastry Turns a Quiet Dolomite Hut Into a Viral Destination
Qwenews.com – Social media's appetite for photogenic mountain moments keeps reshaping how people experience Italy's high country. From farmers installing turnstiles to gate access to Instagram-friendly fields, to local authorities shuttering trails so crowds can't pile onto a single viewpoint, the pattern is familiar. Now a new chapter has emerged in the Val di Fassa valley of the northern Dolomites, where a four-dollar pastry has drawn hundreds of visitors to a spot that was once reserved for serious hikers.
The Friedrich August Refuge and Its Unexpected Queue
The Friedrich August refuge — a traditional Alpine waystation built to give mountaineers shelter from storms, a warm meal, and a place to rest — has found itself besieged by lines stretching outside its doors. The draw is not the panoramic scenery, though that remains. It is a krapfen, also called a bombolone: a ring-shaped, donut-like confection typically stuffed with vanilla cream or apricot preserves. Staff told CNN the chaos began last week when tourists uploaded TikTok clips of themselves biting into the pastry with the idyllic peaks as a backdrop. Those clips spread rapidly, and the hut's queues swelled almost overnight.
Two managers at the refuge, who requested anonymity, explained that although some #krapfen posts date back several years, genuine interest in the location hit its peak this year. They attributed the surge to record-breaking heat driving people toward cooler, higher-altitude areas. As more visitors climbed into the upper ranges, older social-media posts about the pastry resurfaced and amplified the trend.
Infrastructure Strained, Traditions Disrupted
The managers described a situation they could no longer manage. Production of the pastries could not keep pace with demand, and the payment system buckled because nearly every visitor attempted to pay by tap rather than cash. On Tuesday, the refuge's internet connection collapsed under the load.
"People who used to come here were avid hikers who were properly dressed who stopped for a bite and a rest. Now people are taking great risks with no hiking experience and without gear to eat the pastry. That's missing the point."
The influx troubles not only the hut's operators but also the traditional hikers who climb for solitude and silence. More critically, it introduces genuine safety hazards for unprepared visitors attempting routes without adequate equipment or experience.
Local Voices on Overtourism in the Peaks
Francesco Abbruscato, president of the local Alpine Club, told regional media that those arriving for pastries rather than peace are inflicting irreparable damage on the landscape and its culture.
"With Covid, a great desire to experience natural environments has arisen. Until five or six years ago, we didn't see overtourism" in certain parts of the Dolomites, he said. "Now there are iconic places where it's no longer possible to appreciate the beauty, surrounded by dozens of people taking selfies and who are there just for that."
The krapfen episode sits alongside other recent examples of social-media-driven disruption. Earlier this year, local authorities closed specific trails to curb the flow of visitors heading to photograph the Seceda mountain. Last summer, farmers in the area erected a physical turnstile to charge people walking through their fields for a good shot of the Seceda and Drei Zinnen (Three Peaks) ranges.
A Call to Manage, Not Just React
Marco Bussone, president of UNCEM — Italy's National Union of Mountain Municipalities, Communities and Bodies — argued that these recurring episodes should prompt officials to rethink how tourism flows are planned and how mountain territories are protected.
"The mountain is not a playground," he told local media last weekend. "The krapfen is a singular episode but not representative of mountain tourism as a whole. The real issue is the need to manage the peaks without forgetting that the mountains are not a playground, but a territory inhabited all year round."
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