Italian Town to Vote on Name Change to Boost Tourism, Combat Search Engine Errors
Vallecrosia, Italy – October 17, 2025 – The coastal Italian town of Vallecrosia is poised to hold a referendum on a unique solution to a modern problem: its name is misleading search engines, diverting potential tourists to neighboring destinations. The town council, led by Mayor Fabio Perri, has approved a proposal to officially add “al mare” (“by the sea”) to the town’s name, hoping a more descriptive moniker will improve its online visibility and attract much-needed visitors.
Vallecrosia, a municipality of 6,800 residents on the Italian Riviera near the French border, finds itself geographically misrepresented by online algorithms. The ”Valle” portion of its name, meaning “valley” in Italian, leads search engines to categorize the town as being located inland, rather than directly on the Mediterranean coast. This misclassification is impacting the town’s tourism revenue, redirecting beachgoers to nearby communities.”But the problem is that the algorithm catalogs us as a valley, as if we were in the hinterland,” explained Mayor Perri. “That’s why the flow of visitors is being redirected to the beaches of our neighboring communities.”
Several market studies commissioned by the municipality indicated that adding “al mare” to the name would rectify the issue. If approved by a majority vote in the upcoming referendum, the change will be largely symbolic; the postal code will remain unchanged, and existing official documents will remain valid. The municipality has already increased its tourism budget threefold for the coming year, anticipating a boost in visitors should the name change prove prosperous. The Ligurian coast, including popular destinations like Sanremo and Ventimiglia, is a well-established holiday region in Italy.
