Remember the days when we could all plan European holidays with wild abandon? When a simple Google search for Cinque Terre would fill you with excitement and wanderlust rather than dread and disappointment?
Well, those days are set to make their long awaited return thanks to an announcement from Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi at the G20 Tourism Ministerial Meeting yesterday. Italy is open for business!
Well, almost, and there’s a catch.
Draghi has announced that the boot-shaped nation will be implementing a “green pass” from as early as mid-May 2021 which will allow for national and international travel throughout Italy’s many spectacular regions without needing to quarantine. All you have to do to score one of these life-giving passes is be vaccinated for, test negative to or have recently recovered from COVID-19. And for those of us in Australia, wait patiently until the international borders are open again.
The news comes after the European Commission put forward a proposal to open the region to non-essential travellers who have been vaccinated or are coming from countries with a good epidemiological situation. If passed, that plan could see the rest of Europe open up as early as mid-June 2021.
While we’re not suggesting you go out and book flights to Rome tomorrow, it does mean we can all start planning our next European sojourn with a little more certainty and a heck load more excitement. Here’s some inspo to get your holiday planning started.
Image Credit: Getty