"Tutto Gas" in Italy

Whitsun vacation: Austrians “dismantled” Lignano

(Bild: Klaus Loibnegger)

State of emergency on the Upper Adriatic: far more Austrians than expected "tore Lignano apart" at Whitsun this year - total party escalation! 

This year, 30,000 to 50,000 party tourists were expected in advance. But by Friday, there was already talk of around 90,000 bookings in Lignano. Of course, not all of them were "Tutto Gas" tourists, but the authorities were surprised by the actual onslaught of party animals. Especially as many young guests also arrived from Bavaria this year.

After Friday went off without any "major incidents", as police officer Martin Marco, who was sent to Lignano from Carinthia, confirmed to us on site, there were numerous party escalations on the remaining days and nights.

"This was the fifth time I've been there - but this was probably the busiest and worst weekend so far," the officer sadly concludes.

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"No fewer deployments on Sunday"
Seizures of not inconsiderable quantities of drugs, damage to property, a flood of theft reports, breaches of regulations (ban on jukeboxes, bikinis, toplessness, etc.) and countless fights. "The longer the weekend lasted, the more aggressive the atmosphere became," says the police officer.

There had also never been so many rescue missions due to "alcohol-related corpses" as on this long Whitsun weekend. The medical emergency services didn't have a second to rest, shuttling between the party mile and the nearby hospital.

"We had hoped that Sunday evening would be calmer - but we didn't have any fewer calls than on Saturday," said the police officer, who was on duty until 6 a.m. on Monday.

The reason why Sunday evening was not quite as quiet as usual this year: some party tourists simply extended "Tutto Gas" - because last year the Italians had carried out alcohol checks on Monday. As a result, some had to hand in their driving license on their return journey due to residual alcohol. So this year they didn't leave until Tuesday.

"Unfortunately, there are always a few unteachables"
Sabine and Dietmar M. from Lower Austria experienced the party on the beach first-hand: "Unfortunately, there are always some unteachable people. You have to crack down on them. But the majority of the boys stick to the rules and just want to party. And that's okay."

We basically have no problem with the party weekend. It's easy to avoid the hustle and bustle.

Sabine und Dietmar aus Niederösterreich

"That's exactly three days a year, Lignano can take it," say Sabine and Dietmar M. from Lower Austria, who own an apartment in the seaside resort.

They usually avoid the party zones, but this year they even joined in the celebrations for a milestone birthday with friends...