Aussie tourist is kidnapped not once but twice in a single day while on dream holiday in Europe: 'I'm terrified'

Published: 04:53, 20 July 2026 | Updated: 04:53, 20 July 2026 An Aussie tourist has opened up on the terrifying moment she was kidnapped twice in one day while on her dream holiday in Italy. Melbourne woman Stephanie, 36, said she went to Europe with friends in October, but decided to stay back in Sicily alone when her mates went back to Australia.  Stephanie wanted to learn more about the €1 house program and, while staying in the town of Lo Stangnone, she joined a kiteboarding group meet-up. She was given a lift to the next bar from a European expat she believed was part of the group. The location was supposed to be one kilometre down the road. However, Stephanie claims the driver sped away from the destination, ignoring her pleas to stop. 'I got into the car and he starts driving. We go 300metres, 400metres and he says, 'Let's see if we can get this car to 160',' she told news.com.au. 'I'm terrified. So I start pleading, begging, and the car goes faster. Screaming, yelling, and the car goes faster. And these are small Sicilian roads.' After driving for around 12kms, Stephanie said the car drove into a gated compound and stopped. Melbourne woman Stephanie, 36, said she went to Europe with friends in October, but decided to stay back in Sicily alone when her mates went back to Australia Terrified and having texted her location to her kiteboard instructor, Stephanie knew she had a chance to escape and tried to open the car door. 'It opened and I just ran and ran, for as long as I could, before I found an object to hide behind and check if I was being followed, and I wasn't,' she said. She ran through the dark to a nearby town and found help from a security guard by using a translator app on her phone to explain the ordeal and he agreed to drive her back to her hotel. Just when she thought she was safe, Stephanie said the man pulled over into a 'very dark spot' and asked to go on her phone. 'What he translated was, 'What are you going to do for me for driving you home?' and my stomach dropped,' she said. 'I thought here we go again. By this time, it was 1.30am and I tried the door again, it was unlocked, and I proceeded to run and hide in a vineyard until I saw his car drive away.' During a nerve-wracking walk back to her hotel, Stephanie said she hid away from oncoming headlights as 'she couldn't trust anybody' and thankfully made it back to her hotel safely. Sadly, the ordeal has left her shaken and she has decided against buying or renovating a home in Italy. Stephanie wanted to learn more about the €1 house program and, while staying in the town of Lo Stangnone, she joined a kiteboarding group meet-up (stock image) 'That dream has been a little bit killed simply because I'm terrified to travel alone because unfortunately I trust people a little too much and missed the obvious red flags,' she said. 'Parking (the idea) for now but maybe one day.'  Despite the horrifying incident occurring in Italy, Stephanie vowed it was not an issue unique to the European country. 'Unfortunately for me and a lot of my girlfriends, much worse things have happened to us here in Australia,' she said. 'I think we'd like to say it's isolated to other countries.  'But we can see by domestic violence rates and the amount of women being unalived in Australia that it's not safe here either.'