Should you travel to Italy at the moment?
As a second Covid-19 wave looms, is it a good time to visit Italy?
Last week, as temperatures soared to 40C and a number of Italian cities were placed on a heatwave red alert, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte sought parliamentary approval to extend the state of emergency in Italy. The extension (the existing provision expired on 31 July), gives Conte the power to reintroduce lockdown measures without recourse to parliament, should he consider it necessary to do so.
On top of that, a raft of airlines have cancelled flights to the peninsula and, in the current climate, further last-minute cancellations cannot be ruled out.
In addition, the UK government’s dramatic response to the escalating situation in Spain has had a chilling effect on those still harbouring hopes of travelling to the continent this summer. The message is clear. Only travel if it is absolutely necessary.
With 35,000 Covid-related deaths since the beginning of February, Italy has been amongst the hardest hit countries in Europe. Here the restrictions on trade, travel and commerce have been amongst the strictest in the world. Although many of the emergency measures have now been cautiously lifted, Italians remain one of the most diligent wearers of face-masks, with an estimated 90% compliance, and physical distancing measures are generally respected, backed up by fines of up to €1,000 for those who flout the rules.
Of course, there are very few international visitors in Italy at the moment and, for a country that relies so heavily on international tourism, that is having a devastating impact on the economy. According to figures released last week, Italy’s GDP fell by an eye-watering 12.4% this quarter, though some analysts concede that the hit was less profound than they had expected.
One taxi driver I spoke to would normally be busy at this time of year ferrying international tourists between Pisa airport, Lucca and the mountainous Garfagnana region of northern Tuscany. Instead, he is contemplating selling his minibus. When you consider that his vehicle also doubles up as the village school bus, you get some sense of the knock-on implications the absence of visitors is having on Italy’s fragile rural economies.
But as I enjoy another Campari and soda in a bustling piazza full of playing children, enraptured by a lively rehearsal of the village orchestra, I have to confess that this is not quite how I envisaged experiencing a state of emergency.
While the midst of a global health pandemic might not seem like the ideal moment to visit il bel paese, in some ways there has never been a better time to come. Although several clusters of coronavirus have been detected in recent weeks, Italy has so-far avoided the more alarming rates of new contagion we have seen in Spain, France, Germany and Belgium, and Italy’s death toll, currently hovering stubbornly at around 10/12 a day, is marginal compared to the grim three figure tally in England.
The truth is, life in Italy has, to some extent, returned to normal. Anecdotally, some mountain refuges are experiencing a modest upsurge in visitor numbers, as Italians rediscover the peace and serenity of the mountain resorts on their doorstep, while visitors to Rome, Venice and Florence report having the cities’ famed treasures all to themselves. Museums, galleries and monuments that would normally be unpleasantly crowded at this time of year are almost entirely devoid of tourists. In Venice, where tourism has taken its toll on the very social fabric of the city, the crisis has presented an opportunity to take stock and reflect on how the city might embrace the future in a more sustainable way.
In a recent article for Town and Country magazine, novelist and travel writer Alex Preston observed that “being in Italy at the moment is, quite frankly, blissful” and, considering the luxurious grand tour style trip he enjoyed, it’s hard to disagree. Preston concludes that that those contemplating travelling to Italy should drop what they’re doing, pack a bag and jump on the first plane, train or ferry.
One traveller who has done just that is Craig Kelly (37), from Southport. Travelling with his family, Craig has been to Venice, Verona and Lake Garda. He notes that masks are required in shops and tourist attractions, and that temperature checks are in place at certain points, but that the only time he experienced difficulty with social distancing was on the busy vaporetto in Venice, where masks were, in any case, compulsory. Asked if he’d recommend travelling to Italy this summer, Craig responded, “people really need to look at their own circumstances and decide”.
“I would certainly recommend Italy to friends and family. We’ve felt safe and we’ve also felt wanted by the people of Italy.”
For many, though, it’s not the threat of the virus itself that is the principal concern, but the logistical difficulties in getting to Italy, not to mention the prospect of disruption should a second wave might strike.
Ali Macdonald from Glasgow had planned a family trip to northern Italy at the end of August. Her return flight has already been cancelled and travel options between Glasgow and northern Italy are increasingly limited as airlines cut flights in response to a massive downturn in demand. On top of that, Ali is mindful of government advice to travel only if it is absolutely necessary and of the collective effort required to supress the pandemic.
Gill Scott is another traveller who has put her plans on hold for the time being. Gill was supposed to be visiting Friuli-Venezia Giulia this summer, but was concerned about transmitting the virus from the UK to parts of Italy that so far managed to contain it.
So, while Italy is perfectly safe to visit and you’ll certainly find a warm welcome awaits you, for many seasoned travellers the barriers are, for the time being, unsurmountable.
