Italy expects a lot from the post-June 15 period and the opening of a large part of the intra-European borders to revive its economic machine, which is very dependent on tourism.
Deconfined well before its European neighbors, the Boot gradually regains its summer colors, and hopes for the return of foreign tourists from June and, especially, in July August, including the French, traditionally very numerous on sunny days on the roads of Tuscany, or on the beaches of Sardinia or Sicily.
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Italy has been open to tourists since June 3
With nearly two weeks ahead of the European pivotal date of June 15, Italy had reopened its borders to European tourists - including the British - on Wednesday, June 3, without any quarantine obligation. On the other hand, the ban on travel to and from countries outside the Schengen area is extended until June 30. Like most other European states including France, the Boot could be opened on condition to countries from other continents whose health situation is stabilized.
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How the French can get to Italy: plane, train, car ...
The major Italian airports have been taking off since June 3, except those of Verona , Reggio Calabria and Milan-Linate . To reach the Lombard capital, you have to pass through that of Milan-Malpensa .
In Rome , the Fiumicino platform currently handles around twenty flights a day. The second airport in the capital, Ciampino , centered on low-cost , will resume service from June 16, in the wake of the resumption of activity of easyJet or Ryanair. As for the islands, Sicily is already accessible, but Sardinia will not accept international flights until June 25.
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Rail connections between France and Italy have been operational since June 4. The Nice-Milan train line, which operates via Thello, runs at 50% of its usual speed. Four daily trains link Lombardy to the Côte d'Azur, with a new service to Menton. However, the original Milan-Marseille link has not been restored. And the Paris-Dijon-Venice night line remains stationary until June 30.
Read also: Thello reopens its rail link between Nice and Milan
On the road , the land border post of Menton has been open on the Italian side since June 3, leaving all the leisure to the French to come and go. Despite a first day of hiccups where controls were systematic for the hexagon returning from Italy, the situation normalized in both directions the next day.
»VIDEO: Significant traffic jams on the French-Italian border when it reopens on June 3.
Are all travel restrictions lifted for French tourists? The exception of Sardinia or Puglia
The beautiful paes e was among the first to be deconfigured in Europe and, to save whatever the cost of part of its summer tourist season, to reopen shops, bars , restaurants , hotels , museums and monuments from 18 May. A slow and gradual recovery. According to the latest Google reports on mobility in Italy, after ten days of opening at the end of May, attendance at these places was 35% below the pre-epidemic level.
The coasts have been accessible since the beginning of June. On private beaches , the majority on the peninsula, the distance, varying between 3 and 10 meters depending on the region, must be respected between deckchairs and parasols.
Also read: Distancing, deckchairs to book ... This summer, get a tan on the beaches of Italy or Spain
A lifting of the final restrictions is expected in the month, with phase 3 of the deconfinement. Cinemas reopen this June 15. Italian nightclubs will be able to reconnect the “sound system” on July 14.
As for movement , they are free from north to south of the country. With however an exception for lovers of Sardinia . Before being allowed to set foot on the Italian Island of Beauty, tourists will have to "register" by means of a self-certification similar to a health questionnaire, when boarding by air or sea. Two other regions of the heel of the Boot adopt the same protocol, Puglia and Basilicata .
Read also: Secret Mediterranean: the taste of Sardinia
Wearing a mask, expected tourist attendance ... What atmosphere will French tourists find in Italy?
Foreign tourists remain rare for the moment, while Italy is gradually recovering its pre-pandemic face. A half-veiled face, because the wearing of the mask is much more widespread there than in France, consequence of the strict confinement from which the country emerged.
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Mandatory in transport, museums, shops and places of worship, it is not in the street but a large majority of Italians wear it voluntarily. Except on the beaches or on the terraces of cafes, which have regained their carefree attitude. In Rome , the dolce vita seems to have regained its rights for the locals. The aperitivi of certain districts of the capital, like Monti or Ponte Milvio , fill up with no visible big difference with the avant-Covid-19.
The agitation is less on the side of tourist places usually saturated with tourists. In the capital, Saint Peter of Rome, Colosseum and Trevi Fountain , can be visited without the crowds of the great days.
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However, souvenir shops are back, and after months of silence and empty rooms, the professional federation of Roman hotels celebrated the arrival of the first foreign tourist this weekend.
And if in this first fortnight of June, European tourists can still be counted (almost) on the fingers of one hand in the Eternal City, this is not the case in the north, near the French border. In Liguria , in the localities of Sanremo or Ventimiglia , Niçois and Marseillais are already shopping on the markets and populating the restaurants on the seafront. Enough to delight the local economy, which is just waiting to start again with this support , between "French and Italian cousins" .
