I'm leaving on Friday for Italy (Rome, Tuscany, & Venice) and am hoping that I'll have some sort of relief from my horrible Spring allergies once I get there. Just curious if anyone found relief once they were in Italy.

Well, they have plants over there too and lots of them.

I was there a few weeks ago and my nose ran the whole time. Sorry.

It depends on the specific allergy. I always find I am much better in Italy than at home. If I spent a long period there, I might become sensitized to the local allergens. It will probably just come down to luck.

To which plants are you allergic?

Blooming times can vary depending on temps - which in Italy may or may not be different than where you're from. And plant selection seems to be pretty similar. (Although in the center of a city you'll probably be better than in the midst of the county.)

I've been here long enough to get sensitized, so I suffer a lot. Wisteria particularly gets to me, but that's past its peak now. Soon we'll have the poplar fluff which can fly through the air and accumulate on the ground like snow - and is highly allergenic.

On the up side, Zirtec, a highly effective allergy medicine, is available over the counter!

best regards,
Deirdré Straughan

beginningwithi.com (personal)
www.tvblob.com (work)

Hi didi,

Usually, to have to wait about a week to become sensitized to new allergens, so you might have some relief.

Fortunately, Italian pharmacies have really good OTC allergy medicines.

Thanks everyone! I already have a prescription for Zyrtec so it will be going in my bag!