I'm just curious, in places like Rome, Venice, Florence (and Tuscany) - is there a noticeable decrease in crowds right now?
I'm assuming any decrease in travelers will get more dramatic over the next month or so as people traveling in March likely had enough time to adjust their travel plans whereas many who were going to be in Italy in February may have already been there when the outbreak picked up speed.
Are the tourist areas going to be dead of the normal crowds for several months?
I am not there but my husband is and I am not going to join him due to the potential to have to self quarantine when I come home. We also have relatives in several regions of Italy.
He is in Florence for the next few days and he says there are tourists, but far fewer than one would expect. Museums are much, much less crowded and he has sent pictures that have almost no people in them. He has also been talking to the person he rented his apartment from and there have been tons of cancellations. All of this to say, I think most places will have fewer tourists - particularly in the North until things settle down.
I would venture to guess after things settle down (maybe by summer) the areas South of the heaviest impacted zones will come back first.
Are the tourist areas going to be dead of the normal crowds for
several months?
Drew, I don't know as anyone can accurately predict what the situation will be in mid June (when your trip is). It's just too far away at this point.
This from a friend who lives in Venice. It is pretty quiet there.
https://philipgwynnejones.com/2020/03/03/visiting-venice/
We're in Rome now - arrived last Saturday and are staying for a week.
It is certainly much less crowded than I recall from previous visits. For example, on Monday morning there was no queue (literally, none), to get into the Vatican Museums. Of course, parts inside were still busy but mainly only the Chapel and a few other pinch points. On Tuesday, at the Borghese gallery, I tried to estimate visitors whilst we were waiting to be let in - I'd guess well under 100, even though it had been nearly sold out when we bought our tickets.
Of course, in the parts of the city where the Romans live & work, there are still plenty of people and buses are busy. But in the more touristic areas, it's noticeable how empty most restaurants and bars are.
The only closures we've come across are the catacombs.
Rome is a great destination at any time, but fewer other tourists is certainly a boon to us (though, equally, awful for those businesses relying on the tourist market; I imagine it's even worse in the north).
How this will be by Summer, I've no idea. Hopefully, for the sake of the livelihoods of many, this isn't more than a short-term position. But, selfishly, seeing Rome without the crowds has been wonderful and I'm glad we came.
Edit to add - went to the Coloseum today. Incredibly, no queue for "buy on the day" tickets. I also started seeing more people wearing face masks. Mostly, they seemed to be younger people.
There are webcams you can look at to see real time what the activity is like. The webcam for the trevi fountain shows lots of people but not nearly the crowds I regularly see there. I look at the cams right when I get to work so it is around 6pm in Italy.
I have to say that, on one hand the thought of dwindling crowds in a touristy city sounds appealing for the sake of less waiting and getting into places. But the reality of experiencing an empty Trevi, Vatican, Coloseum or the streets in general seems like it’ll feel strange. Almost as if the empty city means that I’ll be missing out on the experience rather than the other way around. I have plans to travel this summer, and for now I’m watching and waiting. At first I thought selfishly that a ghost town would allow to see and do more. But I’m starting to realize that it’s the people and crowds that make for a rich experience. You know what I mean?
....anyway, just a thought.
I hope things improve for the better soon.
Someone else shared this in another thread but it is relevant (and has since been updated): https://anamericaninrome.com/wp/2020/02/rome-and-the-coronavirus/
I will be in Rome next week and will report back.
To me, lack of tourists and tour groups is a major plus. I had major jet lag last time I was in Rome and walked from my hotel near Campo dei Fiori to Piazza Venezia, down to the Colosseum, then made a loop of the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain, and Piazza Navona--all before 6am. I saw almost nobody. The same sites had a lot less charm when I came back and had to fight through the crowd of selfie takers just to get a good view.
To me, lack of tourists and tour groups is a major plus. I had major
jet lag last time I was in Rome and walked from my hotel near Campo
dei Fiori to Piazza Venezia, down to the Colosseum, then made a loop
of the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain, and Piazza Navona--all before
6am. I saw almost nobody. The same sites had a lot less charm when I
came back and had to fight through the crowd of selfie takers just to
get a good view.
Amen, Daniel. That is why on my 3 trips to Italy--twice to the Campo de' Fiori area of Rome--it's always been off-season. And even then, places like Trevi & Spanish Steps had way too many folks to my liking. Enjoy, enjoy. Yes, not exactly under the circumstances we'd like, but take advantage & definitely report back.
I got non-stop round trip tickets for two in the fall for $650 on American this morning (JFK/FCO, seems like the fear is absolutely having an impact. Happy to take advantage of those prices!
AP News posted a gallery of photos from Venice in the feature "Venice a shell of itself as tourists flee virus."
I had purchased my open jaw tickets in January for $1,100 pp. the post above made me wonder if I now could have gotten them at a steal (going in September). I was happy to see they are the same price.
Tim, I understand where you are coming from. The people watching, lively restaurants is part of the fun for us.
To get a good idea here is a link of live web cams for popular tourist spots in Italy
I'm with Lulu and Tim, I love the energy of the crowd and the moments you can have common experiences with strangers and feel that connection. My husband had a large wave crash on him fully clothed holding his video cam, he was behind a large rock and the whole group of us from all over the world, gasped then laughed, concerned people asking if he was alright, asking if his camera was ok...it was fun to all be there and have a laugh.
There are very few tourists. I'm in Emilia Romagna and Modena and Bologna are empty. I heard the exhibit for Raffael in Rome started off well. No idea what to predict. Many trains have been cancelled all through the country. Not a good situation here and no signs of improvement.
Well we're home now (after an unusually empty flight).
I've nothing much to add to my earlier response written when we were actually in Rome. But, just to comment on those concerned Rome would be "dead". I can only comment on Rome last week - it will have been different in other towns, and may well be different in Rome next week. But, whilst tourist numbers were certainly well down, Rome wasn't dead. Not least because all the people who live there are still around. We spent, for example, a couple of evenings in Monti and there were lots of locals out and about and bars/restaurants were busy. By contrast, inside the tourist sights was much quieter than in previous trips, and restaurants primarily serving tourist areas such as around the Coloseum were also quiet.
For us it was the best of both worlds - small crowds when visiting, for instance, the Trevi Fountain; but people watching opportunities in the evenings away from the purely tourist centres. Certainly, we're very happy we went.
Lots of great info shared here - and thanks for the many links to different first hand accounts. Thanks!!
Probably you read about it on other treads or news, but the situation is greatly changed from yesterday. The Government decide to apply several limit everywhere in Italy:
- All museums and monuments must be kept closed.
- Schools, university, local places like gyms, pools and pubs must be kept closed. Educational trips are forbidden.
- Shops can be follow normal timetable, but with limits: no crowd is allowed (1 meter between people inside), malls must be kept closed during the week-end except food shops and pharmacies.
- Bars and restaurants can be kept opened between 6am to 6pm. After 6pm is possible only the selling of take away.
- In general the suggestion is to stay at home and leisure travels are forbidden. People can travel only for important matters (job, medical cures, purchase food....).
These are valid laws until the 3rd of April, but are under discussion further limits.
Watch CNN International. There was a piece from Bologna yesterday - people were walking around in the main piazza, but all restaurants, etc., were ordered to close at 6 pm for the immediate future.
There are no crowds. There are people roaming the city but with the main sites closed there really isn't much to see or do. It's an eerie feeling but you have to make the most of it. Seeing the Trevi fountains and Spanish Steps without anyone else around is really a treat.
Donna
The BBC has published some photos on this subject: https://www.bbc.com/news/in-pictures-51815536
I like the one of the Spanish Steps. When was the last time they had absolutely nobody on them: https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cpsprodpb/60A4/production/_111204742_italy_lockdown_1.jpg
