Italy braced for Ripley fans but crowds could be murder

When Andrew Scott's eponymous character in the new Netflix series Ripley travels from Naples to the village of Atrani, the rickety bus has the road almost to itself; a solitary Vespa passes the other way.

When he tracks down Dickie Greenleaf at the beach, the rich American and his girlfriend are the only people sunbathing on the pristine sands.

Visitors to the Amalfi coast today will note the contrast. Unlike in 1961, the SS163 coast road between Positano and Salerno is now known as much for traffic jams as for views.

Atrani may be less busy than neighbouring Amalfi, but in summer its beach is taken over by rows of umbrellas and sunbeds. Only a very small area is public spiaggia libera.

In the village, which has one four-star hotel and a few B&Bs and holiday lets, some businesses are pleased about the Netflix exposure.

Antonio Buonocore, who runs the beachside restaurant Le Arcate, said: "The impeccable photography has certainly brought our little village extra publicity." But others worry how sustainable this will be. Antonella Florio, of Maison Escher apartments, said: "This coast is saturated with overtourism. If more visitors come because of the series, I sincerely hope they come in low season." Luisa Criscolo, property manager at Chiara's House, a holiday rental, agreed: "If tourism does grow, the risk is that it's not managed intelligently. Our village can't cope with huge numbers of tourists. Cars, buses and motorbikes leave the traffic paralysed.