The flood destroyed the only road that was supposed to transport tourists by helicopter.

In the popular and touristy town of Cogni, in the Gran Paradiso National Park, massive flood damage has been reported as a result of heavy rains in the last weekend of June. The town is inaccessible because the only road connecting the “Pearl of the Alps”, as it is called, to the neighbouring valley has been badly damaged. There are holes up to 20 metres deep.

The road to Cogni will be closed for at least a month, Civil Protection Minister Nello Musumeci said during a visit to the Aosta Valley. The town’s summer tourist season, which depends on it, is at risk – the local hotel industry is also worried.

After visiting Aosta and meeting with local authorities, Tourism Minister Daniela Santanch tweeted: “Cogni gets wings.” She added: “The Aosta Valley is alive. No wave can isolate it. We are working on launching a free helicopter tour for tourists who will not abandon Cogni.”

The announcement caused a storm. “It is necessary to bring tourists by helicopter, but not to repair roads? Isn’t Prime Minister Meloni a little ashamed to have appointed such a minister?” – wrote center-left opposition politician Angelo Bonelli in a tweet.

Sabrina Lecheri, also from the opposition Five Star Movement and a member of the parliamentary tourism committee, called the idea “crazy”. “It shows that Santanche has no serious solution to what happened in Cogni,” she said. “There is no need for helicopters to transport tourists, but investments are needed to prevent the hydrogeological disasters that we often see.”