Overview
- An eyewitness said a helicopter set down on a meadow near Valas/San Genesio on Sunday, where three young men took selfies and then walked to a farmhouse restaurant.
- Green regional councillor Brigitte Foppa photographed the landing and posted it on Facebook, drawing tens of thousands of views and a flood of reactions within hours.
- Foppa told Corriere della Sera the landing occurred around 1,500 meters with families nearby who were startled by the rotor noise, and she described the men as confident and unbothered.
- Following Sunday’s viral post, Foppa said she will push in the South Tyrol assembly to shift control of landing sites from the state to the province, echoing AVS and SAT calls to ban tourist flights.
- Comments online also targeted Foppa personally, while local groups note helicopters remain vital for rescue, hut supply and firefighting, and no new rules or bans have been announced.