With Italy opening up from 2nd June would you still go this year?

54ragtop

I know that this is all personal opinions and views, I have a trip currently planned in June to go to Northern Italy. It has been cancelled yet, but with Italy now stating they are opening up from 2nd June and allowing travel, restaurants to open etc... hotels as well.

Would you still go?

Yes, it may be really deserted as people will be cautious about travel and locals may be very accomodating...
No, I'm concerned about how I get there and risk to personal heath...

super_davo

My mum and dad have been staying at their holiday home in Sicily throughout lockdown. And the general feeling is of incredularity as to how we've handled the pandemic; they can't believe how lax we've been in terms of lockdown and testing etc.
So personally, no, on account:
* I'm not sure how truly open things will be in June
* Social distancing has been very well enforced and observed, I doubt it will be eased enough to make it a relaxing experience
* As a Brit, based on the media reporting, there will be a percentage of people that will think you're riddled with Coronavirus
* You're highly likely to then have to spend 14 days in quarantine / isolation on the other side

I have a holiday booked for the French alps in late August (driving there) and my inclination is that I probably won't go unless things improve somewhat in the next few months (and that's said in respect of attitudes / openings / legal positions rather than fear of personal health).

ugo.santalucia

No.
It's not much about the risk, which is currently lower there than it is here. It's about the volatility of the all situation... you might be asked to self isolate on your way home and things there might change very rapidly, to the point that one day you might be eating a pizza sitting in a square and the following day you might have to stay in your hotel room.

pblakeney

Remember the day when flights to Spain were turned round mid flight?
Those days may well be behind us but I doubt any holiday in the next year will feel like a holiday last year. Businesses and social acceptance may vary vastly.

54ragtop

Well, I think this evening quarantine rules will kill the long weekend anyway, 4 days riding for 14 self-isolation when back!!

ugo.santalucia

The way things are going in Italy, they might not stay out of lockdown for very long... this is from Milan on Saturday night, the worst affected region

davep1

We have a holiday place in Abruzzo, watching all the news bulletins for updates on what will be allowed and what won't.
The UK currently saying if you come back from anywhere in Europe you will have to self-isolate for 14 days is the biggest issue for me, work won't let me take 2 weeks holiday and then two weeks self isolating.
We drive down, so getting there and back would be a lot less risky in terms of infection than flying, although having to overnight somewhere probably negates not having to go into an airport or plane.
It will depend a little on infection rates and which countries allow people to drive through them.
I really want to go, I miss the place and the locals we have got to know, and the cycling is brilliant, albeit a level up from riding in the UK.
My wife had thought about staying there for over 90 days to get residency and a possible European passport/citizenship before Covid struck, I don't know if that will be an option for her now.

ugo.santalucia

davep1 said:

We have a holiday place in Abruzzo, watching all the news bulletins for updates on what will be allowed and what won't.
The UK currently saying if you come back from anywhere in Europe you will have to self-isolate for 14 days is the biggest issue for me, work won't let me take 2 weeks holiday and then two weeks self isolating.
We drive down, so getting there and back would be a lot less risky in terms of infection than flying, although having to overnight somewhere probably negates not having to go into an airport or plane.
It will depend a little on infection rates and which countries allow people to drive through them.
I really want to go, I miss the place and the locals we have got to know, and the cycling is brilliant, albeit a level up from riding in the UK.
My wife had thought about staying there for over 90 days to get residency and a possible European passport/citizenship before Covid struck, I don't know if that will be an option for her now.

France is also reciprocating the quarantine, so I am not sure if you can drive through it to go to Italy... it's all a bit confusing to be honest.

You might have missed the boat for the residency, unless she tries in the Autumn. As for Italian citizenship... it's getting very very hard, now they have introduced a compulsory language test, which is pretty high level. I could pass it, obviously, but not many non native speakers would.
Also, the application process can take anything up to 4 years by law

paulwood

I've written off this year. Not thinking of going away anywhere i may not be easily able to get home from if I get sick or have to isolate. Hopefully a little time away in England (or the UK even....) if allowed.

bondurant

I've also written off the summer holiday we had planned. If it happens, great, but I can't see it being possible without significant drawbacks.

thegreatdivide

We’ve booked EasyJet flights from Edinburgh to Geneva for the 16/09 to stay in our usual Alps gaff and catch the Tour the next day. 132 quid return for a booked seat, a bike and a hold bag. We’re betting on it being very unlikely that there will be European travel restrictions come mid September.

ugo.santalucia

September should be fine if people behave over the summer

pblakeney

And that is precisely why I’m not booking anything foreign this year.
Who knows who will by flying anywhere in January, or even exist?
I realise that is a self fulfilling statement.

teisetrotter

I think I'll leave the delights of mainland Europe for next year. All rather confusing and considering the weather you'd have thought we were part of Europe anyway!

How nice it would be to have an EU passport again. However, my cousin has done the family tree. You can trace the family directly back via births and registers to two churches since before the Great Fire of London. Apart from a couple of marriages to Norfolk vicars daughters in the 19th century all inbred Londoners that moved no further than the north and west Wards of the City of London until the blitz destroyed everything.

No one in the family tree thought to learn Italian or fall for the charms of the Irish! Very annoying and inconsiderate, especially as we live in the largest Irish city in the world and probably I'd imagine one of the larger Italian population centres in a city which was founded by Italians!

ugo.santalucia

We are probably going to stay at home altogether. We have paid a deposit for a cottage in Cornwall for July, that was back in February, but I'm not sure we want to go there to queue for everything, being unable to get a meal out because they can only serve 3 tables instead of the 10 they would normally ram in 400 sqf... find out that the beaches are invaded by hoards of day tourists who cannot go to Spain... being unable to keep decent social distance every time we leave the property... on balance it seems better to cut our losses than to spend another 1000-1500 to get a shit holiday

pblakeney

In a similar vein, I’ve just spent a holiday refund on a fancy new BBQ. May be our best option for eating out this summer.

ugo.santalucia

Premier Inn just refunded me a trip to Wales that is now not happening... I was worried that wouldn't happen as it was borderline Government decisions on July 4th...

Better not tell the wife or it will all be spent at the garden centre!

54ragtop

Well, we've just moved the trip to September.... need a goal and something to focus on!!

If the situation is still bad then, we will move to next year

homers_double

We have a family home on Lake Como which my parents escaped the day before the flights out of Milan stopped.

We're hoping to drive over in September which we can arrange at a couple of days notice but until something realistic is announced we're not booking anything.

If the overnight ferry from Hull is running we won't even need to stay overnight in France, just blitz the drive down in one hit.

fenix

Ryanair cancelled my August flights. I'm not going to book anything abroad this year I think.

I'll be amazed if the tour is on in September but fingers crossed.

ugo.santalucia

We managed to get our cottage in Cornwall booking postponed to next year, so no money was lost... I even just received two refunds from Premier Inn for a couple of stays planned to happen during the lockdown... so all good and staying put!

MTB_Roadtripper

Anyone know how we as "Brits" are considered in mainland Europe, with regards to "our" handling of this?

Are we considered the pustulating sore of the continent?

50x11

I would be careful to split the Brits up, us Scots have just had our 3 deathless day in a row. England is a whole other world.

davep1

fenix said:

Ryanair cancelled my August flights. I'm not going to book anything abroad this year I think.

I'll be amazed if the tour is on in September but fingers crossed.

We had flights booked for April with Ryanair - seems a long time ago now! They offered us a refund, but when you went on to the site, the default was a refund for the outbound flight, but you had to click on the return flight to cancel that and get a refund! Why would you think your customers would want the return trip if they had cancelled the outbound? Unless you were hoping they wouldn't notice and you could keep half the money!

davidof

I've just come back from a couple of weeks in Italy. In Milan masks were worn everywhere incl. the street and it was 35C. That has been relaxed a bit on the 14th July. Elsewhere masks indoors only. Except for the canal area it was quiet.



Generally very quiet, few tourists, about 80% of hotel beds closed although things are picking up a bit in August by the looks of things. Restaurants very quiet. Great cycling as not much traffic on the roads around lake Maggiore.



Of course you have the usual Italian road madness in the Alps - do we put in a hairpin or do we run the road straight up this 20% slope? I did one climb that is around 14% for 5km, and that's not the steepest road where I was.

ugo.santalucia

Nice to see a pair of Mach 1 Ergo levers... is it 8 speed?

davidof

8 speed, yes, good spot. The gruppo bar the c'set (which is a chorus carbon cyclocross crankset) is from the 90s.
It is almost antique !

fenix

Nice bike. Nice pics too.

ugo.santalucia

davidof said:

8 speed, yes, good spot. The gruppo bar the c'set (which is a chorus carbon cyclocross crankset) is from the 90s.
It is almost antique !

I did own a pair of 8 speed Campagnolo Mach 1 shifters and they were probably the best shifters Campagnolo ever made... everything was engineered to last... 9 speed mach 2 were still OK, then came 10 speed and plastic... then came Mach 3 11 speed which are a total joke for the money.
They are getting "antique" and quite rare and they will probably last another 20 years without any need for any service....

davidof

I hope they do last that time and I appreciate that you noticed them :-)
It is a pretty good gruppo, changes well but is durable. 8sp is ok for most of my riding. The Chorus/Mavic Open 4 wheels are bombproof. I'm not doing 25K miles per year or anything serious though.

veronese68

Made it to Tuscany, drove down in one hit only stopping for fuel and a kip in the car. Made really good time as roads were quiet, no queuing for tolls or the Mont Blanc tunnel. Been out for food and a meal and things seem much calmer than in the SW London, obviously far fewer people. Masks worn in shops or when moving around in bars and restaurants, everyone seems to just be getting on with it with no fuss.
Unfortunately can't ride a bike at the moment but I'm coping alright