Urban centres are the cultural assets that have been affected the most by Covid-19. Before the outbreak of the pandemic, historic cities were subject to large flows of both national and international tourists, in addition to the presence of local workers and residents, thus creating a phenomenon referred to as “overtourism” in international specialised literature, a term that highlights the excesses of an situation that is now out of control. When the lockdown ended, historic cities remained empty. There were no tourists, due to the crisis of human mobility, and there were no public and private office employees, due to widespread smart working practices. This paper deals with the question of whether we should return to the pre-Covid-19 status quo as soon as possible and by making use of public funding, or whether we should take advantage of the effects of the pandemic as an opportunity to modify, partially or totally, the economic and social conditions that led to overtourism. This essay will also analyse the ways in which the phenomenon of overtourism has developed over time, and will also propose the need to drastically reform the ways in which tourism has developed in historic centres. © 2020, eum - Edizioni Universita di Macerata. All rights reserved.