Two Mediterranean hill towns, Calvara and San Telmo, have closed their historic centres to most traffic, joining a growing number of small towns trying to protect narrow medieval streets from cars and coaches. From this month only residents, delivery vans at set times, taxis and emergency vehicles are allowed inside the old walls.
Both towns attract large numbers of visitors in summer, and residents had complained for years about cars squeezing through lanes barely wider than a vehicle, scraping walls and blocking doorways. In Calvara, the town council said that on peak days more than 2,000 vehicles were entering an old quarter of around 900 residents.
Shuttles and new car parks
Visitors now leave their cars in new car parks just outside the walls and either walk up or take a small electric shuttle that runs every ten minutes. Cameras at the entrances read number plates, and drivers without a permit face fines. Market traders and shopkeepers can receive deliveries between 6am and 10am.
Calvara's mayor, Elena Rossetti, said the change had already made the streets quieter and safer. Children are playing in the main square again, she said, and restaurants have put tables outside where cars once parked.
Our streets were designed for donkeys and people on foot. We are simply letting them be used that way again.
Not everyone has been won over. Some older residents in San Telmo worry about hospital appointments and visits from relatives, and a few shopkeepers fear losing passing trade. Both councils have issued free permits for carers and for residents with mobility needs, and San Telmo is offering a free door-to-door minibus for over-75s.
The changes are being watched elsewhere. Velde, Wrenhaven's twin town, closed part of its own old centre to traffic several years ago and has hosted visits from councils considering similar schemes. A delegation from Calvara is due to visit Velde in the spring to compare notes on deliveries and parking.
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