Dukey1

Italy is in another lockdown until Easter as I understand it. I am simply waiting for the Verona opera festival to get with the program and announce another cancellation which seems inevitable. The thing is supposed to begin mid-June. I realize a lot can happen between now and then but realistically? IMO not gonna happen this year.

MinnBeef

Well, as of late March, approximately 25% of the US population has been partially or fully vaccinated while my people in Italy will have their 3rd lockdown Easter weekend. The rest of Europe is not much better. If Americans are not allowed in this year, it will be to protect us from the Europeans.

ldatt22

I hope you get to go on your trip soon! There must be an increase in Covid there since they're locking down again.


Lynn

Dukey1

"If Americans are not allowed in this year, it will be to protect us from the Europeans."

Interesting. I do not feel the need to have someone "protecting" me from others once I choose to be among them but perhaps some folks do.

scrb11

Public Health England did a study concluding that travel in summer of 2020 did import covid cases into England. The countries which sent the most cases to the UK last summer were Greece and Croatia, which incidentally had the most liberal tourism policies last summer -- and plan to have this summer as well.

Last year these countries claimed very low case numbers.

I hope for the EU to open up, including to Americans. But Italy and other countries have no hesitation about locking down hard. Italians can only travel 10 kilometers and only for specific purposes. I believe restaurants are closed, even for takeaway food or they are to close by 6 PM. US hasn't had such strict measures to really try to limit mobility as a way to limit potential for transmission.

So even if they do allow tourists in, there's always the possibility of strict lockdowns being imposed at a moments notice, so visitors could find themselves confined to their hotels, not even be able to get food from restaurants.

That said, if they said around the end of May that they will be opening up, I will be booking right away, assuming I'm fully vaccinated (both shots plus a couple of weeks) by then or will be by the time I would depart.

mrandmrs

Ahhh Venezia. A world treasure not be missed. I loved my stays there in 1999, 2003, and 2007. i hope to return.

gentle

These are all the places I would suggest ,as they are easy to get 2 by bus or train. First if in Florence I would bus to Siena as it drops you right out the front ( train further away) I usually stay a few days then bus back to Florence another town I like is Arezzo about one hour out of Florence by train. Lucca is beautiful again by train from Florence easy to do. Just a tip as I have been visiting Italy for the past 16 years I usually go and buy my tickets the day before so I don’t waste time on the day 🌻

architetta

We are also planning a trip to Italy in Oct./Nov (fingers crossed!).
I'm reluctant to purchase train tickets in advance. I'm assuming they aren't refundable (haven't researched this yet) and with how unpredictable things can be I'd rather avoid that monetary loss. I hope I can purchase tickets the day before each trip without too much trouble like we used to do pre-covid. If anyone has any current experience, I would really appreciate the input. Things may be so different now.

scrb11

Not it's not true that you have to take a covid test flight.

For now you can just go.

Italy got their cases very low before it started going back up the past week.

With their Euro celebrations, it may go up further.

whitehall

Covid-tested flights have been scrapped. They no longer exist. I paid extra to be on one, and then they stopped them, since that method of arrival is no longer necessary.

Entry now is allowed upon proof of vaccination. CDC card is acceptable, so long as last dose was at least 14 days prior to departure OR a certificate of recovery from Covid dated within 6 months OR proof of antigen out molecular test with negative result within 48 hours of the flight.

These rules are in effect, as I understand, through the end of this month, and, I guess, could be changed if the situation warrants. We travel in late August, these procedures are still in effect then.

annhig

Whitehall - I think that your post encapsulates the problems of air travel at present - requirements change so quickly it's hard to keep up with them. I hope that noting changes again until you are safely back home.

whitehall

Besides the CDC card, it is a good idea to print out the EU Digital Passenger Locator Form which we filed online. Here are two recent experiences of travelers to Italy as reported in the Local:

"Patricia described a similar experience flying on Delta through Atlanta in early July: “Near the departure gate, there were a couple of stations set up. There a person checked my vaccine card and ensured that I had filled out the EU Digital Passenger Locator Form. Then at the other station, someone signed off on my ticket, and I was free to go to the gate to board. Simple!”

She was on a regular flight without Covid tests before and flying, and was surprised by how easy things were when she landed at Rome Fiumicino.

“I walked right through customs, got my bag, and I was out within 15 minutes – definitely my most streamlined experience here!”

Reader Diane, who flew on July 1st, reported a similarly straightforward process.

“Getting to Florence from SFO was much easier than we thought it would be,” she said.

“In the days leading up to the flight, I filled out several forms that Air France and Delta had posted on their websites, but as it turned out I needed only one: the EU Passenger Locator Form. That, and the Covid vaccination record with the CDC logo were enough to board the plane.”

“Upon landing in Florence, nobody asked to see any forms.”

BAHItaly

Absolutely
South of Rome

bfrac

What was re-entry back into the U.S. like? Where did you find Covid testing? I am in the planning process for November and this is what concerns me the most. Will be returning from FCO, most likely.

scrb11

Some Italian pharmacies will do antigen testing. They usually require a reservation. Some pharmacies just sell you a self-testing kit, which does not meet the testing requirements for return flights to the US.

What I did was go to Google Maps and search the area around where I was staying for pharmacies. Many of these pharmacies have their own web sites so you can email them and ask if they do covid antigen tests. Some of them may have online reservations as well.

If you don't get an answer, you can call or just visit them.

Another way is to contact the Tourism office for the city or commune and ask if they know of places which will do antigen tests for travel certification, which means a trained person will swab you and give you the test results, as opposed to getting one of those set-test kits.

There is a website in Italian which lets you enter the city and commune and it will show places that do tests. But you have to go through the results to see where they're located, Googling their address. Often many of them are way outside the centro storico of cities so I wasn't interested in going way outside of the centro storico.

bfrac

Thank you very much scrb11.

rialtogrl

They do testing at FCO.

https://www.adr.it/web/aeroporti-di-...at-the-airport

scrb11

If you wait to test until you get to the airport, you won’t be able to check in or check in bags until you have that negative test result.

rialtogrl

they say the rapid test only takes 30 minutes, but yeah if you need a PCR I would not want to do it at the airport.

scrb11

You only need an antigen rapid test.

Better hope there aren't long queues to test or to check in.

US requirement gives you 3 calendar days before your departing flight, not even just 72 hours.

So I'd take advantage of the time ad do it before going to airport. Likely cost a little less in town than at the airport too.