L'Italo-Americano

www.italoamericano.org 8 THURSDAY, MAY 13, 2021 L'Italo-Americano W i t h t h e p r o m i s e t h a t i n t e r n a - t i o n a l travel will finally resume any time now, Americans can hope to fly over to the Belpaese again, after 15 months where boarding a plane to Europe remained a dream for the almost totali- ty of them. Of course, the I t a l i a n g o v e r n m e n t h a s specified, you'll be able to enter the country only with a special "health pass" that shows you are fully vacci- nated, you tested negative to a molecular Covid-19 test not before 48 hours prior to y o u r f l i g h t , o r y o u h a v e recovered from the infec- tion. Nothing official, yet, but enough to make us all hope, on both sides of the Atlantic. I t a l y o p e n e d u p t o t h e p o s s i b i l i t y o f w e l c o m i n g n o n - E U t r a v e l e r s b a c k again after representatives o f t h e E u r o p e a n U n i o n stressed it is hoped Europe will open up to the rest of the world for the summer. While we still don't have more detailed information, t h e n e w s i s w e l c o m e d b y A m e r i c a n s a n d I t a l i a n s alike: finally, citizens of the U S w i l l b e a b l e t o t r a v e l back to Italy on holiday, to see family or to trace back their family heritage, and Italy will finally say "ben- tornati" to the tourists who spend the most when they visit. It's a win-win situa- tion. There will be limitations, not last the presence of a n i g h t l y c u r f e w t h a t s t i l l forces everyone to go back home by 10 pm – although i t m a y b e e x t e n d e d o f a n hour in the next couple of weeks. Moreover, we don't know the way restaurants, cafés and bars will operate during the summer, yet, at least when it comes to their evening shifts. Morning and afternoons, though, should be just as pleasant as you remember – plus face mask, of course: Italy is the home of outdoor everything dur- ing the hot season, so you are guaranteed your morn- ing cappuccino, your lunch penne arrabbiata, an early a p e r i t i v o a n d e v e n a n a l fresco dinner, provided you a r e s a f e a n d s o u n d b a c k h o m e b y 1 0 p m , j u s t l i k e Cinderella (yes, I know it was midnight for her, but we're not quite there, yet). With cinemas, theatres a n d m u s e u m s o p e n e d again, albeit with limited numbers of visitors allowed in, you'll be able to get your share of art and beauty, too, you'll just need to plan a bit better in advance and book y o u r t i c k e t s o n l i n e . Perhaps, this is one thing we should be happy about: n o m o r e q u e u e s , a n d t h e opportunity to enjoy Italy's art with a fraction of the people around you doesn't sound that bad, if you think of it. Popular online magazine The Local Italy submitted a q u e s t i o n n a i r e t o i t s American readers to find o u t w h e t h e r t h e y w o u l d travel to Italy whenever it becomes possible, even if they have to obtain a health pass. Their answer was uni- vocal, with 90% of respon- dents ranging from a simple " y e s " t o a n a d a m a n t "absolutely yes!" Some peo- ple declared they already booked their flight, reas- sured by being fully vacci- nated. Some Americans are not so sure about taking that l o n g e d f o r t r i p q u i t e y e t , mostly because they don't k n o w h o w w e l c o m i n g Italians will be with people from abroad, considering how deeply the pandemic scarred us all. While their fears are understandable, I t a l i a n s , e s p e c i a l l y t h o s e living in touristic areas, are truly looking forward to life g o i n g b a c k t o n o r m a l , i n c l u d i n g s e e i n g t h e i r beloved visitors back: there is, today, a level of trust in t h e h e a l t h r e g u l a t i o n s imposed by the government t h a t m a k e m o s t I t a l i a n s confident in the safety of having tourists from abroad back into the country. That, and the need to see normal- ity again, to experience life almost the way it used to be. So, as an Italian, I feel quite confident in saying that yes, Americans are very welcome, and we can't wait to hear English being spo- ken in our streets again. However, our American f r i e n d s s h o u l d n ' t f o r g e t that, on the day of writing, Italy is still on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)'s Level Four, which means it's still considered a country with high rates of Covid-19 infec- tions, and "travelers should a v o i d a l l t r a v e l s " t o t h e c o u n t r y . Y e t , t h i n g s m a y change, and we still have a good 6 to 8 weeks before the summer tourist season gets into full swing: plenty of time for rates to lower, right? T r u t h i s t h a t , w h e t h e r you'll actually make the trip across the pond this sum- m e r o r n o t , k n o w i n g y o u can – even if you need your little health pass to do it -- is such a morale booster. It means that things are going to get back to some sort of normality, that we'll be able to go on holiday, yes, but mostly, to see those we love w i t h o u t f e a r s a n d w o r r y a n d , p e r h a p s – c a n y o u imagine! – even hug them. So, let's plan that trip to Italy, even if, perhaps, it will still take a few months before we can actually jump on that plane, because it is going to happen soon: and you know the way they say, t h e t i m e s p e n t d r e a m i n g your dream can be as beau- tiful as the dream itself. International travel to Italy should resume this month: soon, spending time in Venice, Florence or Rome won't be a dream anymore (Photo: Sven Hansche/Dreamstime) CHIARA D'ALESSIO Italy, we are coming back! NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS

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