Will Italy be Open to fully vaccinated Americans in early June 2021

My guess is slim and none, and slim is headed out of town.

An e-mail this afternoon from a friend who lives in rural Tuscany said that the “lockdown” they’ve been under for months is being eased somewhat, with fewer restrictions, starting this Monday, April 26. That’s going to be followed by Italy being open later, probably just to EU citizens. She says that Americans should be able to come to Italy “by summer.” Whether that means June 21, or July 1, or sometime before Fall, I haven’t been able to clarify.

She’s also said all along that rules and policies have been Italy-wide, so what applies in Tuscany has also applied to the Amalfi Coast, and there haven’t/won’t be regional exceptions.

Js, the answer is that no one here can tell you yes or no at this point. It's up to the Italian government. I'm sure the minute the gates officially open for Americans, it'll be BIG news on this forum. There may still be entry requirements, such as negative COVID tests __ number of hours prior to arrival, but, well, it's a wait-and-see.

The G7 (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom and USA) are meeting on June 11. Since these meeting are economic in origin, and tourism plays a big part of the economy of all of these countries, I wouldn't be surprised if some announcements about travel are made during the conference if not before.

Until then, no one can tell you for sure.

The problem is, as much as any sovereign EU/Schengen country would like to set their own policy, they still have to work within their alliances to set an official policy. There have been a number of "announcements" by officials, stating they will open in "X" month, but no official proclamation to make it happen. Iceland and Greece have made a bit more headway...but being EU/Schengen isolated borders, they have a bit more latitude.

Much of Europe is seeing a new wave of cases, Germany has announced new restrictions; Italy has struggled, so an immediate relaxing of restrictions seems unlikely. Even from the standpoint of "Hey, I am Vaccinated", when you get there, they are not allowing movement, or even the ability to visit restaurants and shops under most restrictions.

Currently, Italy is not allowing tourists from the US. They revise the guidelines in about 30 day increments, the current ones expire April 30th, so in the next week they should issue guidance for May. June guidance will not be available until late May. So far, the US has not even made it onto the list of countries for potential entry.

Also a bit telling, is that no announcement has made mention of vaccinated travelers. Within the EU, talk of a verified vaccine passport has been discussed; in the US, we have shied away from any issue of a "passport", so hard to tell, if they do accept "vaccinated" travelers, what proof will be required.

Whilst you being vaccinated is relevant, the vaccination rate in Italy is more relevant. Their population is just over 60 million and their recent record day for vaccinations was under 350,000. The U.K.’s population is 10% higher and the recent record day for vaccinations was c 850,000, which is why Italy has suffering another wave in infection over the past month or two. A news heading a few days ago said Italy had missed its target last week. Hopefully vaccinations will increase.

Policies change rapidly in most countries, so if people are travelling this year, I think it will be last minute rather than planned well ahead. Be prepared for local lockdowns or lockdown easing to be announced at less than 24 hours notice or flight changes to your schedule. Flexibility maybe key. It’s likely to be late May before there’s any certainty about June travel.

By definition, touristy areas such as major cities and coastal regions attract more people. More people obviously increases the risk of infection, more so where activities are indoors such as museums, theatres etc. Sitting on a beach, swimming or walking in rural parts is lower risk.

Don‘t book anything that‘s not refundable.

Here are the stats on vaccines in Italy by region.

https://www.statista.com/statistics/1196406/number-of-covid-vaccine-doses-administered-in-italy-by-region/

They're a long way from 60 million.

We have a trip scheduled for late Sep into England and France. Our cut off date is Aug 8. At the moment we are seriously considering cancelling everything and "See the USA in your ...." Beginning to think that will be the safe bet. Still have Caribbean cruises scheduled for Jan and Feb. Feel a lot more confident about Jan and Feb than I do for Sep. I don't think anyone can say with any confidence what the situation will be anywhere in June. You are only 5,6 weeks out and I don't see a lot of change on the horizon. Good luck.

Most likely, I just made a topic on the breaking news.

From today some of the limits have been removed, at least in the Regions classified as "yellow". Means that restaurants are opened (only outdoor), museums and monuments are opened, are allowed travels between yellow Regions even for leisure.
For the middle of May are expected more places opened (pools, gyms...), hoping no more rise of infection.
At the moment have been vaccinated more that 12 millions, means around the 20% of the population (70% over 70 years old), using nearly the 90% of dosis available. Are expected 5 million dosis in the next 10 days, hoping to reach the target of 500 thousand people vaccinated per day.
The opinion is still that in June will not allowed free movements in Italy and from other countries: more likely could happen in July or August or in Fall.

For Frank who wrote At the moment we are seriously considering cancelling everything and "See the USA in your ...."

See the USA

I have also forgone the idea of a late spring trip to Europe (I was hoping Greece) and instead will spend a month and a half indeed seeing the USA.

I'm still hoping for Europe in the fall but no destinations in mind yet.

Chani, our Mpls Sunday paper included a travel section for the first time in a least a year. The section's headline? "Bound for America". I think you'll have lots of company!

Did anyone see the ABC news piece this morning about people renting Uhaul box trucks to get around the shortage of rental cars? One poor fella found even those completely out of stock.

Agree with the "no one knows but it is unlikely" comments. As sick as I am/everyone is of restrictions, I am concerned about the restrictions easing while the vaccination rates are still so low. I'm going to play it very safe still as I really don't want to get one of these nasty variants now when I am hoping I can get a vaccine by June. Even that is not a sure thing yet.

Funny anecdote about renting U-Haul trucks. U-Haul has long had a policy that anyone over 18 could rent, while most car rental firms require renters to be 21 (with a surcharge) or 25. It made the news in Canada when two young men from Washington state tried to cross the border with a U-Haul containing nothing but their ski gear. The border agents ripped that truck apart looking for the drugs they were sure they would find. But nope, a U-Haul was the only vehicle the boys could rent to get them to the ski hills in Canada.

curious to know what you make of this:

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/25/world/europe/american-travel-to-europe.html

https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/25/us/europe-vaccinated-americans-summer-eu-vacation/index.html

Perhaps yes

LOL, @Kathy! Rent a uhaul and not only would you have transport but you could also camp in it! 🤣

Yes, repeat No.

Well, there's that, Travelmom!
Trouble is, the gas milage on those things sucks, there's no backseat for the kiddies, and they ride pretty darn rough, or at least the ones we've rented have. Also, I sure wouldn't try to take one to some of the off-pavement places we've driven rental SUVs, not that we we supposed to!!

Oops, you didn't hear that from me so shhhh, ya'll. 🤫

My concern is not about being able to go but ability to move freely about the country. I am desperate to get back to Italy but I don't want to be confined to one region...that's the worry. Until Italians are free of any restritions to travel North to South/East to West...what is the point of going?

My concern is not about being able to go but ability to move freely
about the country. I am desperate to get back to Italy but I don't
want to be confined to one region...that's the worry. Until Italians
are free of any restrictions to travel North to South/East to
West...what is the point of going?

My point as well, June...

We have a launch-off point of April 16, 2022 to fly into Zurich, then train to Lucerne, Varenna, Florence and Rome over 17 days. Haven't booked a thing yet. I'm not going to speculate but the early line is not good. Once we get to August/September--when we'd begin to handicap airfares and book hotels/apartments/B&B's--I'll re-evaluate the feasibility of this trip. And I'll have to factor in an out-clause (trip insurance, cancellation policies) to hedge against a surge in the interim, which is entirely possible.

I don't mind masking up in crowds, but not being able to travel freely within regions or countries is a deal-breaker for me. Although...I 'could' stand Rome for 17 days...ha!

Be careful of what you hear from US news organizations. As of now, it appears that the EU is considering allowing vaccinated Americans into the block starting June 9, but each country has the right to overrule the EU opening based on their own health situation. And even within each country, the regional governments may place restrictions on what type of businesses can open, mask mandates, curfews, etc. And, these rules can change even while you are in the middle of your trip. Proceed with caution!