At the start of Summer 2021, Italy cautiously reopened to international travel. This last year has been full of ups/downs for Italy and for Curious Appetite. We’re doing out best to adapt (like with the gourmet gift boxes, virtual tastings, wine/Negroni club, etc), but we’re also slowly welcoming visitors back to Florence with our in-person tours and experiences.
With that in mind, we reached out to all you lovelies on IG to see what your most pressing FAQs were about traveling to Il Bel Paese in the coming weeks and months.
Note: Restrictions and regulations change almost weekly, so be sure to check the official Ministry of Health website before traveling for up-to-date information.
We highly encourage you to contact your air travel provider for entry/return requirements as well, and consult local tourism boards
The following blog post responds to user-generated questions from a recent social media pool. All information has been interpreted, quoted and sourced from the Ministry of Heath, and by no means substitutes information on journalistic news sources or official gov websites. This is a blog section for travel tips, this post was compiled and fact-checked by our collaborating editor with journalistic credentials. In any case, things change week by week so please keep fact checking yourself! We highly recommend Euronews and Afar Media for constantly updated COVID-19 travel news.
Please contact us if anything is inaccurate or needs to be further clarified. Happy reading!
Who can travel to Italy at the moment?
Anyone from Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Czech Republic, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland must produce a negative COVID-19 test result taken within 48 hours of arrival to enter Italy.
Arrivals from the United Kingdom must provide a negative test taken within 48 hours of arrival, quarantine for five days and then take another test. Israeli arrivals are also now permitted, with no quarantine but must present a negative test.
Only Italian residents may travel to Italy from Brazil, India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka and quarantine rules apply.
Travelers from Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Thailand and the US must present a negative PCR test taken within the 72 hours before arrival and quarantine for 10 days. Some quarantine exemptions apply, see below.
Tourism is not currently allowed from any other country.
Every tourist must complete a Digital Passenger Locator Form before entering Italy. They must also inform the local health authorities. See: COVID-19 Regional toll-free numbers and information.
Do I have to quarantine?
As of 18 June 2021, tourists arriving from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland must complete a 5-day quarantine with mandatory swab testing.
Tourists from Australia, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Rwanda, Singapore, Thailand, Japan, Canada and the United States of America must do the same, but for 10 days.
Exemptions are given to citizens and residents of a Member State of the European Union or tourists who enter Italy for proven reasons of work, unless they have stayed or travelled in one or more of the States and territories indicated in List C in the fourteen days prior to entering Italy.
People entering Italy via ‘COVID-tested’ flights are also exempted from quarantine.
As are travelers from Japan, Canada and the United States of America if they can present a COVID-19 Certificate, see more about this below.
(taken pre-covid)
What restrictions/exemptions apply to fully vaccinated people?
EU citizens and residents can enter Italy without any quarantine obligation, provided that:
1. They fill in the Passenger Locator Form before entering Italy
2. They present on arrival an EU Digital COVID Certificate. They can get the EU Digital COVID Certificate from their national health authorities. The certificate is accepted in all EU and Schengen zone countries.
An EU Digital COVID Certificate is a digital proof that a person has either:
been vaccinated against COVID-19 at least 14 days beforehand
received a negative test result
recovered from COVID-19
The digital version can be stored on a mobile device. Citizens can also request a paper version. Both will have a QR code that contains essential information, as well as a digital signature to make sure the certificate is authentic.
For more information, visit the EU Digital COVID Certificate official webpage.
Travellers from the Schengen area, Israel, Canada, Japan and the United States can enter Italy without any quarantine obligation, provided that:
1. They fill in the Passenger Locator Form before entering Italy
2. They present on arrival a COVID-19 Green Pass issued by the Health Authorities their home country, certifying:
complete vaccination against COVID-19 performed at least 14 days beforehand
recovery from COVID-19 and the termination of medical isolation
negative result for a rapid molecular or antigenic test performed in the 48 hours prior to entry into Italy
The certification of successful completion of the vaccination cycle must relate to one of the four vaccines approved by the European Medicines Agency: Comirnaty from Pfizer-BioNtech, Moderna, Vaxzevria, Jansen (Johnson & Johnson).
Certificates must be submitted in one of the following languages: Italian, English, French or Spanish.
What is open in Italy?
Italian regions are currently graded by their infection and hospitalization rates, running from white (lowest risk) through yellow and amber to red (highest risk).
White zones are almost back to normal, qualifying as extremely low risk -- where there are under 50 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. These areas are exempt from restrictions, but regions can bring in their own rules.
In yellow zones, bars and restaurants can stay open throughout the day, but only for outdoor consumption. Indoor dining restarted June 1. Diners must be home for the 11 p.m. curfew when not in the white zone status. (which has effectively been abolished since all regions turned white, but could presumably be reinstated if regions turn yellow again).
In yellow, shops are still open. Sports have resumed -- you can now have up to 1,000 spectators outside, and 500 inside, socially distanced. Museums can reopen but on weekends and holidays tickets must be booked at least one day in advance. Theaters, concert halls and cinemas have also reopened, with 50% capacity, 1-meter social distancing, and obligatory advanced reservations.
In orange zones, restaurants offer takeout only and people can move freely within their own towns, but cannot leave their area unless for work or an emergency.
In red zones (highest risk), all shops are closed other than grocery stores and pharmacies. People may only leave their homes for work, health reasons, to go to a place of worship or to take exercise once a day.
For up-to-date information about the color of each zone, see the Ministry of Health website.
What is the Green Pass?
Like most EU nations, Italy has recently introduced a Green Pass. Its implementation across the country comes in response to the spread of the Delta variant.
As of 6 August 2021, everyone over the age of 12 must present a COVID-19 digital green certificate to access certain services and activities:
Restaurants, bars, ice cream parlours and pastry shops for consumption at table indoors
Performances open to the public, sporting events, both outdoors and indoors
Museums and places of culture, shows
Swimming pools and gyms
Private parties, such as wedding receptions
Festivals and trade fairs
Conventions and congresses
Spas and fitness centres
Gaming halls and betting shops, bingo halls and casinos
The pass will be available to those who have had at least one vaccine dose. The pass will also be available to anyone who presents proof of a negative test taken within 48 hours before accessing any of the activities under restriction, and to those who have recently recovered from COVID-19.
If you’re looking for information on how people vaccinated in the US can access Italy’s ‘green pass’, see here.
Consult this article if you were vaccinated in the UK, at time of writing, it was not clear how Italy planned to recognise vaccinations from England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.
Do we need to wear a mask in the streets?
Everywhere in the country, masks must be worn at all times inside or on public transport (though the outdoor mask mandate has now been lifted). Social distancing restrictions may remain in place, including on public transport.
Are there any curfews?
There are no curfews in Italy at the moment. However, if any regions are declared ‘yellow zones’, an 11pm-5am curfew will come back into effect.
Are trains operating at reduced frequency?
Italy’s public transport network is operating as normal and a Green Pass is not required for the country’s trains, buses, public transport or domestic flights.
How are vaccinations in Italy going?
The much delayed vaccination campaign has picked up speed, finally. Anyone over 12 can now book, though appointments for some are weeks away, and many over-80s are still waiting for their second dose.
As of July 26, 2021, there had been around 65.3 million COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in Italy. Breaking down this figure by region, Lombardy stood out as the one that administered the highest number of vaccine doses, more than 11.6 million. Lazio followed in the list, with almost 6.6 million doses administered. It is important to highlight that, for most vaccines to be fully effective, it is necessary to administer two doses to every individual, at a distance of several weeks between the two. So far (at time of writing), around 30.1 million people in Italy can be said to be fully immunized against COVID-19.
What do we need to respect as fully vaccinated travelers?
All the above restrictions, including the Green pass apply to all travelers, vaccinated or unvaccinated. And respect whatever wishes your hosts, venues and businesses ask of you. Virtually all businesses in Italy and Italian travel businesses have been severely impacted- spend as freely as you can!
Curious about an Italian (food-fueled) vacation and need some advice? Referrals for tour guides, drivers, independent accommodation and more? We can help!
Coral personally provides all travel planning and itinerary consulting services. Whether you need a call to sort your ideas, advice on navigating Italy in challenging conditions (such as a global pandemic) or have an itinerary in place and require help putting the pieces together. See our Italy Travel Planning and Itinerary Consulting page for more information!
We have virtual experience options available if you’re not up to jumping through various hoops to get to Italy
