Over the Pond and Through the Pandemic

I might have been one of the last Americans to leave Italy last year, and I might be one of the first to get back this year.

After a long 14 months of enduring the restrictions, we’re back at our Italian home. Getting here involved filling out an online form called a dPLF (only required by Italy) which basically provides tracing information on where I’ve been to the Italian health authorities and has me declare my compliance to the quarentine. There was also a rapid covid antigen test at O’hare a few hours before departure. The form and the test were not difficult, only a little annoying when you consider how the government's red tape has holes all over it. The connection in Munich was pretty easy and perhaps faster even than before. Arriving at Rome was, well, a non event. No passport or covid checks, just walk through baggage claim and get your car.

Waiting on results

We now must do the good faith (as promised) ten day quarantine at our home here. Our friends are assisting with grocery shopping and essentials. Italy has improved dramatically over the past month and new cases are even below the US and approaching the UK levels. We therefore expect that shortly after our quarantine expires (and we pass our followup rapid test) we’ll be able to tour Italy freely. Albeit with a mask handy. We can’t wait to get back to the restaurants and to visit some of the now not so crowded sites we’d previously avoided in our travels like Cinque Terra and Capri. Travel between EU nations however, is still a work in progress. There is supposed to be a proof of vaccine “green card” issued but it’s not clear how they will tie our CDC vaccination cards into that system. I have reason to believe they will, just too much tourist money involved and nobody’s going to get vaccinated all over again.