“One day fear knocked on the door. Courage rose and went to open and saw there was no one there.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
All over the world today, people are almost exclusively talking about the Covid-19 (aka Coronavirus) and Italy is right smack at the center of the dialogue.
CURRENT STATE OF AFFAIRS IN ITALY
Late on March 9th, 2020, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte declared Italy a “zona protetta” (protected area), which means residents are told to stay home and avoid social interaction unless absolutely necessary. Flights have been suspended, museums, theaters and schools closed, all festivities and sporting events have been rescheduled. Funerals and weddings are banned. Today, March 12, the government encouraged all businesses to have employees work from home unless their presence at the office was absolutely essential. Those who defy the lockdown risk imprisonment for up to 3 months or a fine of over 200 euros. As you can imagine, “staying home” is not something Italians do well, so this is truly a frustrating and unsettling situation in homes and offices all around the country. No more Aperitivo with friends, no more gelato in the Piazza, no more pizza on a weekend night … For most Italians this is not just a health concern, but, for a lack of better words, a state of “social imprisonment”. And an already fragile economy is undergoing a challenge unlike any faced in this generation.
WHY SUCH DRACONIAN MEASURES TO CONTAIN THE VIRUS?
It is my belief that Italy’s drastic measures are the most effective way to contain the spread of the virus and recover from this situation sooner rather than later. For those who may not know, there are reasons why Italy in particular (more so than any other country besides China) has had to put forth such drastic precautionary measures to avoid further spreading of the virus. Here are some:
> Italy’s population is aging faster than any country’s in the world, other than Japan. The average age of those who have succumbed to the virus in Italy is 81. With the elderly being at the highest risk, should there be a massive number of emergencies coming in at once, the hospitals would be overwhelmed and unable to handle them. Therefore, they are trying to contain the spread in any way possible, including mandatory shut downs.
> Italy is one of the most densely populated countries in the world. Milan has a density of 18,600 people per square mile, Florence is at 9,700 and Rome 5,700 (by comparison, L.A. is at 7,500, Miami 4,700, and 26,400 people per square mile in New York).These numbers do not include the millions of visitors from around the world who flood the streets and museums of Italy’s main cities each year.
> Italians are passionate people, who love to kiss on both cheeks (men and women). They hug a lot, and touch each other’s faces and body parts as affectionate greetings. So, for them, having to stand at the government-issued ordinance of a minimum of 3 FEET from each other is like waving from the peaks of two mountains.
> Italians are used to being in close proximity. Their cities were built thousands of years ago, back when people were only using their feet to move about, not cars. Therefore, for those who have been there, you know how small and narrow streets are, and city centers are busy and crowded. Because of this, there is much more social interaction (and risk of spreading viruses), so putting these measures in place has been crucial in the efforts to contain it.
I hope this puts things into more perspective as to why Italy is on the forefront of the coronavirus scare.
ON OUR SIDE OF THE ATLANTIC, IT’S ANOTHER STORY
We are all holding our breath in this unprecedented situation. Those with imminent travel plans are feeling an added level of tension. I know what it feels like to get excited about a trip you’ve been waiting a long time for. The anticipation leading up to it is sometimes as much fun as the journey itself. It is heartbreaking to have to change travel plans and the uncertainty is what makes it even worse. I’m in the process now of unwinding a carefully planned spring break trip to Italy with my daughters. This was to have been my gift for my older daughter’s high school graduation. Over a year of planning. Sorrento, Ischia and Rome – poof – gone.
One thing is for sure: no matter how you look at it, this is challenging for all of us.
At Adagio Travel, we’ve been carefully listening and learning directly from our Italian contacts – guides, drivers, hotels and longtime friends. As things are changing hour-by-hour, let me reassure you all that I continue to monitor this delicate and unusual circumstance very closely in order to make the best and safest decision for our clients. We have a 21-year history of working in Italy, and an outstanding reputation in the travel industry. Our priority has always been to not only keep clients safe, but to also deliver superb travel experiences. We are here to answer questions and remain alert to any changes in travel notices.
Fortunately, we have not received many cancellations so far and, to soothe the worries of travelers who are not comfortable traveling in the next few weeks and months, we have made things easy by being open to rescheduling their trip plans to a later date.
LOOKING AHEAD
We have only one Italy tour planned for the first half of this year, more precisely, the very last week of June. We are offering a 10% discount on “Summer in the South – Puglia“, with registration available through April 1 and cancellations available with a full refund through May 5. We are also offering an additional lower-priced Puglia tour — “Indian Summer in the South – Puglia“ — in early September 2020. Finally, we are already busy adding 2021 trip offerings to give our clients more options. Please keep an eye on our website for these developments. We encourage planning ahead, as Italy is and will always be one of the most popular destinations in the world. Take advantage of the generous change fee waivers that most airlines have put in place for tickets purchased by the end of March 2020!
As always, we are here for you and will make adjustments to our scheduled tours as the situation develops. We are in this together and we will overcome this together, so we can go back to enjoying the beautiful lifestyle, food, wine, art, monuments, and breath-taking sites that Italy so lovingly shares with the entire world.