atmosphere in Rome

Since the majority of readers on this forum are American and haven't been able to travel there (or anywhere else in Europe), how could we offer an opinion based on recent experience? I could only venture to guess that anyone in the tourism industry in Italy would be happy to see revenue coming in, so I would think you'd be warmly welcomed. As far as the virus, it's whack-a-mole...in may look like it's gone only to re-emerge, so there will be a degree of unpredictability built in to any trip in the near future. Of the three major North American countries, Canada has done the best with the virus so you're in a much better boat than the US or Mexico.

“Since the majority of readers on this forum are American and haven't been able to travel there (or anywhere else in Europe), how could we offer an opinion based on recent experience? “

Well, I guess then it would be down to those who can actually offer up an opinion instead of just a bit of a slightly grumpy , less than useful reply. Despite the majority being American, there are lots of Canadians who rely on this forum for productive and helpful information, from people all around the world. Don’t begrudge our opportunity for travel, it still comes at a huge restriction and cost, be it monetary or otherwise, ie: quarantine time, etc. A question should be answered by those who can inform, not complain.

OP- please scroll through a few (2-10) PAGES of this Italy and the General Europe pages. We have a poster here who currently lives in Italy and has recently been traveling around the country with it’s recent internal reopening. Sorry, can recall their name but the threads should be recent, within the last month, and they will provide you with the insight you seek. Don’t be afraid to OM them also.

"I could only venture to guess that anyone in the tourism industry in Italy would be happy to see revenue coming in, so I would think you'd be warmly welcomed." I got this sense last month when we cancelled 9 accommodations for our September trip to Rome and Sicily. In addition this included a driver we hired. i sent personal emails vs. cancelling on their websites. We were heartbroken for them. We received heartfelt emails from all our hosts. I believe they were grateful to know that we empathized with their circumstances. They all expressed they would welcome us in the future.

https://community.ricksteves.com/users/858169

https://community.ricksteves.com/users/86495

https://community.ricksteves.com/users/36682

The 1st two are Italians who participate in the forum

The 3rd is a US citizen, who has/had been living in Italy Not sure when her return was scheduled for.

A PM to any/all of them will likely produce a reply on your topic

Thank you Judy for a good post !

This forum may have more Americans on it but we seems to have several “ local “ and expat posters in many countries also posting , and very helpful indeed .

mike,

When is this trip taking place? AFAIK, Italy is still not accessible for Canadians, and a 14 day quarantine is still compulsory. The Canadian government is still advising against all non-essential travel, and going to Italy in contravention of that could have implications for your travel insurance - https://travel.gc.ca/destinations/italy .

I haven't heard much about the "atmosphere" but I believe masks are mandatory for all public transit and indoor public locations such as museums.

A question should be answered by those who can inform, not complain.

I "ventured to guess..." along with a (lack of recent direct experience) caveat posed as a question. It's odd to see this comment from someone who panned my response rather than directly answering the OP's question or trying to inform. I have no complaints at all about not being able to travel right now, nor would I begrudge anyone else that opportunity. Everything I've read in US-based newspaper publications indicates the Italians are suffering greatly due to lack of tourism revenue, so one can make an inference from that about how they would respond to new tourists.

mike's dream, do you know something we don't know? I can't find any documentation that Italy is allowing Canadians in any time soon. From your other posts, you are looking at 'September'. I try to be the positive thinker, but I don't anticipate Canada removing the 14 day quarantine upon return by then, so you'll want to ensure someone has shopped for you upon your arrival home as well as keep an eye on the Italian requirements should they open up to us.
Fingers crossed.

Reply to Ken, re Canadians allowed to travel....Canadians are indeed allowed into most of the European countries. Air Canada has flights to them which can be viewed on their website. There is understandable confusion around this issue as the Canadian government (to date) has not changed its travel advisory against travel - pretty well anywhere. As a Canadian, we are being allowed entry into European countries, however, Canada is not currently extending reciprocity - and is under much pressure to change this. In other words, Canadians can travel to Italy no problem and without quarantine. Returning Canadians are residents/citizens, so we are allowed re-entry into the country. Italians or other Europeans are not currently allowed the same entry rules.
Also, many people are under the wrong impression about Canadians wishing to travel to the U.S. as I understand it. The Air Canada (message hold info) mentions that Canadians can fly into the U.S. Again, there are flights available. It seems that driving across the border is a different story. I'm not sure why. Hopefully, we will all be able to travel wherever we want to soon again, but Canadians are most definitely able to do so.

I'm learning the ropes here - this is my first forum and I'm very appreciative of all the input and responses provided. I will get with the program and assuming a successful voyage in Italy, I will definitely report back. Mike was our son. And he is the reason my husband and I are going on a special trip this year. Wish us well. Kind regards, Debbie

I can't speak for Canadian access to Europe, but just because flights are going back and forth doesn't mean a specific country will allow someone in right now.

For example, there are plenty of flights going back and forth between the US and Europe right now too. I can book any of a dozen daily flights from Seattle to London on United if I wanted to. Doesn't mean I will be allowed on that flight as a citizen of the US. So what is on those flights? Citizens of the UK and other European countries. Cargo. Lots of cargo. Mail has to get back and forth. Medical supplies and perishable foods too. But not US citizens wanting to have a holiday.

Good luck on your trip. I do hope that everything comes together to give you a fantastic experience when you do go.

Thanks Mark and other posters. I am so sorry that Americans are not being allowed in and agree with your sentiments. Certainly, European and other destinations are missing their American visitors.

Please see on this thread my comment from July 24 (to me it shows up as 11:24 am, but I think the forum changes times according to your own time zone)

I cite the EU regulation whereby Canadians (among others) are allowed to enter Europe, including Italy.
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/general-europe/questions-related-to-travel-insurance-and-trip-cancellation-due-to-covid-quarantine-on-entering-eu

Mikes dream, I just wanted to mention a couple of points brought up earlier- just because a flight is going to a desired destination doesn't mean you will have unrestricted access. For example: flights to the US- unless you are one of the very few exceptions (US citizen or going on essential business), you would be denied boarding at the airport. You may be allowed to fly to Italy, but I would check with the embassy to see if a negative COVID test or a period of quarantine on arrival is required.

Because of the current Canadian travel advisory, most Canadian travel insurance won't cover you if COVID impacts your vacation. So you will want to check that.

And finally, on return to Canada you will have a 2 week quarantine, which is mandatory, and YES, they do check up on you.

I am either thick, ignorant or skeptical, but Kim's europa reference is now updated July 30th, and still uses the word 'should' and based on specific criteria, allow Canada and other countries into EU including Italy. However, other websites listing countries accepting Canadian tourists do list 50 various countries with dates of when it came into place; and Italy doesn't appear on any of them.
If OP is only going by flights being sold by Air Canada, we know that there are flights, but criteria needs to be met...and it is the passenger's responsibility to ensure what those criteria are.
I would surely like to see a reference that has a defining date - and not the word 'should' be able to.
Or at least call the Italian embassy to Canada - though embassies aren't always well informed either.
Let us know how it goes, Mike's dream.

Debbie,

As others have noted, just because flights are available to a particular destination, that doesn't mean that passengers will be admitted to the destination once they arrive.

While the E.U. is now allowing people from non-E.U. countries to visit, it's important to note that these are guidelines only, and each country will determine their own requirements.

You may want to have a look at this website - https://www.traveloffpath.com/eu-lifts-travel-restrictions-for-canadians/ . Scroll down to the section titled, "Updates: Which EU Countries Are Now Allowing Canadians?"

I'm assuming this information is accurate at the present time, so that means you'd face a 14-day quarantine upon entry to Italy, and another 14-day quarantine when you return home. That's almost a month of sitting in a hotel room (or whatever) watching boring reruns on TV. I don't know the Italian protocols for quarantine, but Canadian authorities have tightened the regulations and they DO check periodically to ensure that people are following the rules. Those who flaunt the rules can expect hefty fines!

FWIW you could travel to Malta without quarantine, if you're interested. If you live in the Toronto area you should be able to do that with two flights using an Air Canada / Lufthansa combination (Toronto/Frankfurt and Frankfurt/Malta). As with Italy you can probably expect compulsory mask rules for certain locations in Malta.

Buona fortuna!

I’m an American who lives in London and is currently in Italy for holiday (Amalfi Coast, so can’t speak directly to Rome). So far I’ve found people to be pretty serious about mask-wearing, taking details for track and trace everywhere I go, and taking my temperature when I enter restaurants. In terms of the attitude toward North Americans, a lot of people have asked where I’m from, maybe a little more than usual, probably because they can tell I’m American and are wondering how I’m here. No sense of hostility, just curiosity. And almost everyone has said they miss the Americans...may be somewhat different in Rome, but this being an economy based almost entirely on tourism revenue, they are really missing the American visitors.

thanks again everyone for your comments. I have researched various websites and the links provided and will continue to do so for the next couple of weeks. I understand clearly the requirement to quarantine on return to Canada, and I will report back on anything definitive that is new about quarantine on arrival in Italy. The world is in a great deal of flux so anything could change quickly. We have a few weeks yet until we go and hopefully our trip will happen.

If I'm interpreting this correctly, you will be expected to quarantine upon arrival in Italy.
http://www.salute.gov.it/portale/nuovocoronavirus/dettaglioContenutiNuovoCoronavirus.jsp?lingua=english&id=5412&area=nuovoCoronavirus&menu=vuoto
However, there is still an obligation of *health surveillance and fiduciary isolation** for all natural persons who enter Italy from States or foreign countries other than those belonging to the European Union, States party to the Schengen Agreement, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Andorra, the Principality of Monaco, the Republic of San Marino and the Vatican City State or who have stayed there during the 14 days prior to entry into Italy.*

hello everyone,
well, I'm not happy about it, but this group's feedback is greatly appreciated. We are going to cancel our trip based on the requirement for Canadians to quarantine in Italy for 14 days on arrival. I have heard anecdotally that this may not be happening, but, the rules do indeed state it is a requirement. I was aware of the requirement to quarantine on returning to Canada. Luckily, I suppose that we are not facing the original meaning of quarantine (loosely from the Italian of 40 days).....
There are quite a number of countries where quarantine is not required on arrival, including Greece, Portugal, Germany and others. However, we have decided to defer heading to Europe until things change.
Thanks again for your feedback which saved me from a false understanding. Alla prossimo

I'm glad if we were able to help. It is an information quagmire out there, and of course, as it seems that Europe is seeing increases and the expectation of a second wave come October (ish), it isn't worth the hassle of all the 'what if's'. Even our own country is limiting access to provinces depending on your own abode, it does still offer the option of travel at home. Victoria and Vancouver Island are beautiful in September and I think both AC and Westjet have seat sales on. Typically, the fall in Victoria sees high prices due to a lot of conferences, but as those are all now virtual, you may be able to benefit from reduced pricing to places like The Empress Hotel. It isn't Italy, but it may feel like a slice of Britain for a few days.

thanks - we actually travelled from Toronto to BC last month via a flight to Calgary and drove to B.C. It was a lovely break. We have been to Victoria several times and enjoyed the Empress. Great suggestion. We are now focusing on planning for Europe (hopefully) next year.

Hi. A little feedback from Italy.
About the feeling, in general tourists are more than welcomed here in Italy, because there are so few that the touristic market is in a great mess. Italians are going used to wear masks when indoor, avoid groups and so on, so in general the mood is quite relaxed. Whoever can is going on holiday in this period: the most on the beach.
About quarantine is compulsory for anybody is arriving from outside Schengen area (plus UK), but isn't so strictly controlled. This is causing a lot of complains, because the new infections seems caused mainly by workers arriving from other countries without respect the quarantine: this means that is expected a more strict control on quarantine in the future.

A little bit of a side track but still on topic for Rome...

A friend of mine who owns two stores in Rome messaged me to say that he opened up a new bar and restaurant in Rome. His stores are doing pretty well, and he and his family are safe and doing fine.

Rome is waking up slowly but surely and the Romans are optimistic.

He is excited for his new bar and restaurant. For me, I cannot wait to go and visit him and his new restaurant and see his family again. 🍷