Don’t Use Google Maps In This Italian Town!

google maps

Since getting T-Mobile a few years back, we’ve found Google Maps to be an indispensable tool when we rent a car around the world.

While Google Maps isn’t perfect, we usually don’t have much issue with finding our intended destination.

Lonely Planet reports that one “Italian town doesn’t want you to use Google Maps.”

The mayor of Baunei, a town located in the mountains doesn’t want visitors to use the popular app while driving around backroads. Maps keeps getting people lost or even stuck due to incorrect directions!

While tourists are making their way to popular beaches, they’re “sent down rough, dirt tracks, accessible only by foot or 4×4 vehicles.”

Getting out of these situations has been unsafe and in some situations has even required the help of emergency services to rescue them. There have also been times where locals have helped out.

Google tends to send tourists on roads not meant for smaller cars. The mayor of Baunei, Salvatore Corrias said that “old paper maps” are better than the Maps app.

The town has even put up signs to warn tourist of the dangers of following Google Maps!

Google has been notified of these issues and are now working on ways to improve the directions given for the area.

Have you ever had trouble with directions due to an app? I can think of two instances where we did.

During a trip to Italy, we had a rough time finding our Airbnb in the Lake Como area. We were led up extremely narrow roads. At the end of one, it was up a steep hill which led to a dead end. It wasn’t fun turning around to get out of that situation.

While in Tonga, we were led to a grassy area where a soldier flagged us down telling us not to go any further. From what we understood, up ahead was an area used for shooting practice by the military!

Find out more from Lonely Planet here.

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