‘A disturbing wave’: midges threaten tourist trade in Italian town

Authorities in a Tuscan town have urged residents to close their windows and refrain from hanging out washing as they tackle a plague of midges that has been tormenting locals and tourists for weeks.

Restaurants and bar owners in Orbetello, well known for its lagoon and long stretches of sandy beach overlooked by Monte Argentario, say business has been badly hit as customers avoid venturing out for dinner.

“We are forced to close two hours early,” the owner of Caffè sul Corso di Luigi Drogo, told Corriere della Sera. “This is our 2022 season.”

Some establishments have switched off outside lights and are taking dinner bookings only until 9pm, but it has done little to boost trade.

“Takings are down by 60% despite these measures,” said Marco Di Pietro, the owner of Ovosodo restaurant, while describing the “psychological horror” inflicted by the midges on outdoor diners. “Thousands of midges gather around the light bulbs and move like a disturbing wave between the outdoor tables,” he told Corriere.

La Repubblica quoted a visitor from Rome as saying Orbetello had been “completely overrun” by the insects. “For almost a month it has been impossible to walk along the lagoon. Now it has become impossible to even dine or have an aperitif outside. The situation reached such an extreme yesterday that many shops and restaurants were forced to close at around 9pm.”

Mauro Lenzi, a biologist, said last month that the infestation is linked to the conditions of the lagoon amid high temperatures that have reduced the presence of the midges’ natural predators, such as frogs, bats and various birds.

Authorities said they would undertake pest control procedures overnight on Wednesday – the fourth time the town has been fumigated in several weeks.

But residents complained that a deep disinfestation, which usually takes place in the spring, was skipped this year.

They are not the only ones being invaded by insects this summer – the nearby Castiglione della Pescaia has been hit by swarms of wasps, Corriere reported.

Leonardo Marras, a councillor in Tuscany, said: “Today it is difficult to find a solution to a problem that should have been dealt with earlier. What I can say is that we are here for any citizens who express concern or whose season has been ruined by these insects.”