A tourist from Melbourne, Australia, described being kidnapped on two separate occasions within a single day while on holiday in Sicily, Italy. Stephanie, 36, was staying in the town of Lo Stangnone to learn more about a €1 house program when the incidents occurred.
According to Stephanie, she joined a kiteboarding group meet-up and accepted a ride from an individual she believed to be part of the group. However, she claims the driver sped away from their intended destination, ignoring her requests to stop. Stephanie reported that the car continued for approximately 12 kilometers on narrow Sicilian roads before entering a gated compound.
Fearing for her safety, Stephanie had sent her location to her kiteboarding instructor. She managed to open the car door and escape, running until she found a place to hide and confirm she was not being followed. She then ran to a nearby town and sought help from a security guard, using a translator app to explain her situation. The guard agreed to drive her back to her hotel.
As they neared her hotel, the driver pulled over in a dark area and asked Stephanie what she was going to do for him in return for the ride home. Stephanie, realizing she was in a precarious situation again, managed to exit the car, which she found to be unlocked, and hid in a vineyard until the driver left. She then walked back to her hotel, staying hidden from headlights due to her distrust of strangers.
The ordeal has significantly impacted Stephanie, who stated that her dream of buying or renovating a home in Italy is now on hold. She expressed feeling terrified to travel alone and believes she missed obvious red flags due to trusting people too much. Stephanie also commented that while the incident occurred in Italy, similar dangers are present in her home country of Australia, citing domestic violence rates and the number of women being killed there. She asserted that it is not safe in Australia either, countering a common perception that such incidents are isolated to other countries.