An Australian woman recently detailed a terrifying adventure during her visit to Sicily, claiming she experienced two separate kidnapping attempts within a single day. Stephanie, a 36-year-old executive from Melbourne, had initially travelled to Europe with friends in October 2022. After her friends returned home, she remained in Italy to explore the country’s €1 house scheme, which involves selling abandoned properties for a symbolic one euro. She also had plans to engage in kiteboarding near the town of Lo Stagnone.

First Kidnapping Attempt During Kiteboarding Event

The alarming series of events commenced after Stephanie attended a gathering with fellow kiteboarders. Upon leaving for another location, she accepted a ride from a man she had recently met, whom she believed would take her to the same destination. As they drove, he allegedly accelerated away from the group and disregarded her pleas to stop. “I got into the car, and he starts driving. He says, ‘Let’s see if we can get this car to 160,’” Stephanie recounted, expressing her fear as the car picked up speed on the narrow roads of Sicily.

During the journey of approximately 12 kilometres, Stephanie utilised her phone to share her live location with her kiteboarding instructor. She overheard the driver speaking to a front-seat passenger, asking whether anyone from the kiteboarding group would accompany them to the driver’s residence. The driver’s response, indicating that “no one’s coming,” made Stephanie realise that even the passenger was unaware of the unfolding situation.

The vehicle eventually arrived at a gated property, and upon confirming that the door was unlocked, Stephanie seized the opportunity to escape. “It opened, and I just ran and ran,” she recalled, adding that she took precautions to ensure no one was following her before proceeding on foot.

Second Distressing Encounter with Security Guard

Once again seeking refuge, Stephanie made her way back to her hotel on foot. During her journey, she took care to hide whenever vehicles approached and purchased drinks from vending machines to maintain a record of her whereabouts in case of emergencies. The anxiety of her experience left her in tears the following day before she confided in her kiteboarding peers about what had transpired.

Impact on Future Plans in Italy

Despite being deeply shaken by her encounters, Stephanie expressed that her experience should not be generalised to reflect Italy or its people. Notably, she clarified that the first driver was a European expatriate and not an Italian citizen. As a result of the traumatic incidents, she has decided to put her plans for purchasing a home in Italy on hold. “I don’t think I’ll be going to Italy to work on a project unless I have someone that I’m doing it with now,” she stated, highlighting the significant impact the ordeal had on her outlook.

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