COVD severity in Dolomites now and US CDC card

The CDC and the State Department have very few places that they think it's safe to go and probably none anyone wants to go to. IMHO their "one size fits all" advice makes it worthless. It's probably not that much riskier then your local grocery but there is the risk that if you do get Covid you would not be able to come home until you get a recovery letter or test negative. That's probably your biggest risk and the question is can you afford the "extra stay" (I can because I work remote and plan to take my laptop and extra screen, but... YMMV)

We are in Italy now, been here since 5/21. No one has asked for any Covid documents at all. We were masks everywhere and unfortunately tested positive so looking now how to get home. Overall, the people we see wearing masks is extremely small. Masks have been few and far between. We feel we can only control our actions so have them on at all times outdoors.

Thank you for replying. I wish you a safe and speedy trip home.

We’re in Italy now and I concur with the previous poster: no regulations, no paperwork, number of people wearing masks almost minuscule. I’m so sorry she’s contracted Covid and will keep my fingers crossed that we don’t get it too. I’d advise you not to miss the opportunity you have to come here; you may get Covid but most likely you won’t.

Travel decisions are a challenge these days. I wanted to encourage you to think about getting travel insurance if you do choose to go. Some people are self-insuring (covering all possible costs) and others are buying insurance with trip interruption benefits in case they get a positive covid test.

The CDC is saying it is very high risk and advising not to go but I
don’t know how accurate that is.

It's based on numeric thresholds over the last 28 days (not pulled from the air), but cases are likely undercounted everywhere (not just Italy). You have to do what's comfortable for you, including facing the risk of testing positive before your flight home.

Here is the explanation of the different levels (1-4):
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/how-level-is-determined.html
Italy
https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices/covid-3/coronavirus-italy

Go for it. I was there 2 weeks ago and in the Dolomites 10 months ago. The only drawback currently the trains are running late most times and then you need a negative COVID test a day before your flight to return to the USA; most find that stressful because if you test positive you can't leave until you test negative. Forget what everyone else is doing around you and wear your mask.

I am still planning to go to Dolomites in August, using Bolzano as a base.
Will travel solo as I always do.
But will return Bologna-London-Vancouver, cross border then fly out of Seattle to Charlotte NC

Slight correction to the above post: you don’t have to wait to test positive after a positive result. You need to get an official positive test result (lab or monitored self-test), then after 10 days, if you have been symptom free, you can get a Letter of Recovery to use to fly home. There are several posts about how to get the letter.

I am in Cremona now and previously in Milan & Stresa on Lake Maggiore. I concur with the others’ comments. I am traveling around by train, and rules for the stricter mask type and wearing them is mostly being followed by everyone on the trains. Otherwise, I rarely see masks outdoors. Usually gelato shop workers, hotel workers, etc. are wearing the blue hospital type masks.

I am a risk analysis type person. For me, personally, I have a plan “in case” and told myself I would not worry about it (should I eat in this restaurant, etc.) while I am here. By the way, I heard a few coughing people on the flight to Amsterdam and also to Milan. So overall, you are at risk even before arriving.

We got back from Italy a week ago and never showed our CDC cards during the entire trip. We are vaxxed and boosted. However, I had COVID in April before our trip while my sister hasn't. We both masked judiciously for the trip. Most people complied on trains and ferries. Everybody masked the whole time at the Vatican. My sister masked in taxis and any situation where there were close quarters. We both tested negative and got home.

I'd book. If you're worried about risk, get a good insurance policy and plan to wear a mask when necessary. There are still plenty of people wearing masks and you will not look out of place.

Pro tip: We had our masks on lanyards at are available on Amazon. They clip to the ear elastic. You can tighten the lanyard so the mask is held tight from the top of your head not at your ears. When loosened, the mask hangs around your neck and is convenient for when you really do need it.