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Preparing checklists in anticipation of travel looks a little different these days.
We have been hoping for a trip back to Italy for some time now, as it has been almost two years since we had our toes in the sand on the glorious beaches of Positano and since we have enjoyed wandering around the streets of Florence.
But, we also knew that meant waiting until it felt right for us, but more so, that we weren't going abroad too soon.
While we have only been a few times, we keep in touch with some of the local shop owners and wineries (ahem, and ordered a case or 5 during the quarantine) and checked in to see if they were ready to have tourists again. Thankfully, they said they are.
So, we started planning for a trip in September. How many days should we go? What regions should we visit? Do we try somewhere new? The trip won't be as long this time around, so we decided to start our trip again in Positano and end the trip in Florence.
The biggest change, however, with this year's planning is making sure we have the right documents needed to travel safely to Italy and adhere to their travel requirements.
We are flying American Airlines and the app gives you alerts to know which documents you need ahead of time (we also checked the State Department and Italian Ministry sites). Here are a few of things we are preparing for (note: we are connecting in the states and flying direct to Rome so only need to worry about Italy's requirements; if you connect through another EU country, check their requirements, too.):
Filling out the Passenger Locator Form
Carrying Proof of Vaccination (keep this with your passport!)
Finding local PCR test to return to the US (within 3 days before return)
Also, because we are traveling between regions, we are paying attention to the Zones in Italy to make sure we respect their local requirements (masks, etc.). Thankfully, as of today, all zones are designated "white" zones, meaning there are no restrictions on traveling between zones.
For us that means we can easily get around Italy, thanks to their train system that makes bouncing around from one destination to another fairly quickly. Because of this, we decided to fly in and out of Rome and take the train to Naples (then connect by car to Positano) and then back to Naples for the train to Florence, and ultimately back to Rome by train to catch our return flight. Sounds easy enough, right?
Naturally, I have peeked at train schedules and have explored our best options for getting around Tuscany, and I have planned a few tours, including a visit back to the Chianti region with Grape Tours, where we will hopefully see a few familiar spots (like the Corzano e Paterno vineyard and especially Dario Cecchini as we are low on our favorite seasoning!) and visit new wineries to grow our wine collection.
As for our time in Positano, we are looking forward to sitting on the patio of our favorite wine bar, Le Tres Sorelle Wine Room, splurging on ceramics at Emporio Della Ceramica, and spending a day at the Arienzo Beach Club.
Do you have any travel coming up? Have you been to Italy? What are some of your favorite spots? Follow my travel adventures on Instagram and read my post on how to pack for Italy in a carry on.
Update: on July 23, Italy announced a "green pass" will be in effect as of August 6, requiring the EU Digital Covid certificate to dine inside, access museums and more; failure to comply results in a steep fine. Learn more here.
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