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Article Amalfi Coast without foreign tourists

Pauline

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Amalfi Coast tourism depends on American tourists and there are none this summer. Italy, and the rest of the EU, does not allow tourists from the US into the country. It is heart breaking to read about the consequences on the Italians working in this area.

With American tourists banned from Italy, Amalfi Coast workers are sliding into poverty

By Chico Harlan and Stefano Pitrelli
, July 24
 
While Americans certainly do have an economic impact for the area, it also depends heavily on Italian and European travelers, and though they can travel now, many are opting to stay closer to home. Many Italians are doing weekends instead of the full week or two they would normally do for holidays, so it's a big hit to some of these areas (and the workers) all the way around. Also, I've seen several surveys of Italian and European travelers that they are focusing on specific areas, perceived as less crowded -Puglia and Calabria, namely, which means those two locales will be...crowded!...while the traditional places that see crowds will be less so this summer.
 
We have not canceled our trip to Positano/Tuscany beginning October 13th yet, but in my heart, I know it's coming. It already was postponed from this past May. We will wait a bit longer, and see how it goes. I have next May set for Varenna on Lake Como and back to Tuscany. If it cancels, I will simply be broken hearted. Also, my husband and I are at an age, where we worry that we may never return if this goes on too long. Staying with Nico at Sant'Antonio has been our home away from home for many years. I'm finding this entire thing very depressing. I'm one of those people who has always needed something to look forward to. Too Sad, and starting to lose hope!
 
Just had the discussion at breakfast with my wife that our cancellation date for our September trip is coming up. When this started in March, thought that the worst I would need to do was to postpone our mid-May departure to early June.....wow, how wrong was that? I fully understand Sharon J's fears about lost opportunities. The number of trips left in my lifetime is no longer that "infinite" number that I always had when making long range plans and each one is a little more special nowadays. For now, stay healthy and stay hopeful.
 
We have not canceled our trip to Positano/Tuscany beginning October 13th yet, but in my heart, I know it's coming. It already was postponed from this past May. We will wait a bit longer, and see how it goes. I have next May set for Varenna on Lake Como and back to Tuscany. If it cancels, I will simply be broken hearted. Also, my husband and I are at an age, where we worry that we may never return if this goes on too long. Staying with Nico at Sant'Antonio has been our home away from home for many years. I'm finding this entire thing very depressing. I'm one of those people who has always needed something to look forward to. Too Sad, and starting to lose hope!
Sharon...I feel exactly the same way. So far this year, we have had to cancel our 2 weeks in Tuscany in April, my daughter’s and my annual mother/daughter summer trip to Canada (it would have been our 27th without a missed year), and our Christmas family get together in Oxford, UK. I just turned 70...my husband soon turns 67, so we know our years of traveling independently the way we like will not go on forever. But, we cannot lose hope! Positano/Tuscany likely may not happen for you this Fall, but I am thinking positively for your May, 2021 trip.
 
Thanks for all the comments above. Somehow, you have given me some hope. My husband and I are 73 and 74. Hate wasting so much time afraid of so many things. Thank goodness we live in a wonderful little town on the coast of South Carolina. Plus, we have a Marine Air Base here, and for some reason, they make me feel a lot safer.
 
Wow, that article you posted Pauline is really, really depressing. I am thinking why doesn't Italy institute a policy like one we just experienced.

Last week we returned from 8 days in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands. We went with another couple who live in Florida (we live in Massachusetts). A week before we were to leave, they texted us this new edict from the local government -

"There currently are 11 states and territories under travel restrictions into the US Virgin Islands: Arizona; Florida; Georgia; Idaho; Kansas; Mississippi; Nevada; Puerto Rico; South Carolina; Texas and Utah. Travelers from those states and territories must present test results showing they have tested negative for COVID-19 within 5 days of their arrival into the territory. "

They had to rush to get tested, and in fact we went for testing just in case they included all US states. BTW, our testing was great. We called on Monday, got an appointment for Tuesday 9:30 AM, got results at 8:00 PM, and we left on Thursday. As it turns out when we landed, they didn't ask for a Covid test result, but they did ask the usual symptom questions and took our temperature.

So why doesn't Italy do this for American tourists? If you have a negative test taken within a few days of departure, it is likely you are probably Covid free. Certainly the risk is very low.

BryanS, you're in Italy, why don't you contact the government! :)
 
So why doesn't Italy do this for American tourists?

Italy is following EU guidelines, not just a national policy. I belong to a number of ex-pat and social groupings centered around our area of Italy and I think there is a very pronounced split in regards to having American tourists reappear between those who rely on tourism dollars and those who are concerned about community health. We in the US certainly have not, and are not, doing much to engender their confidence.
 
Well that article about few tourists on the Amalfi Coast is out of date! @Valerie and @BryanS messaged me today from the Amalfi Coast. Buses crowded, boats crowded, streets in Amalfi and Positano crowded. Lots of Italians and Brits. Beaches were full. There was some social distancing on the beach.

Not everyone wearing masks on public transport.

Photo from today in Amalfi.

75FE599A-EEC8-4F09-A825-3AC90CF2BDE2.jpeg


Photo from today in Positano.

699494C8-16E0-4E19-9BD6-4B9BBA133E9C.jpeg
 
From the photos it appears that the "fine line" that Italy is walking in order to keep a possible second wave at bay - is getting finer and finer......
Hope they will not fall off it, like many other countries that did not remain on guard after exiting their lockdowns.
I still would be cautious about planning a trip there in the coming months.
 
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Too many people without masks on the streets. Yes, it was hotter than hell. But the virus doesn't take a vacation. The ferries don't have to adhere to distances but masks are required (we didn't know that when we bought the tickets and boarded). Many kept pulling their masks down on the way over from Salerno, putting it back up when the employees passed through the cabin. The upper deck was all full, and less masks because in theory it's not required outdoors, though that stipulates "when proper distance can be ensured". Same for the streets - mask not required but when distances can't be ensured, you're supposed to wear it. You can see in the photos that is not the case by many people, foreign tourists and Italian tourists alike. It was disconcerting to us.

Beaches give more distance than previously, but not like what we are used to in our area. The outlying beaches of Positano that you take a boat to were all completely full, since we hadn't reserved we couldn't get in at any of those. We found that one of the concessions on Marina Grande was half-empty so took an umbrella/sun beds there, choosing to stay in the middle where nobody else was. (Easier to avoid stinky perfumey sun creams many people use, as well as ensuring nobody would be moving their chairs around to get the sun and thus infringe on our safe zone.) There were way too many people using the port area, grouped up on the beach and in the water, and seemed like nobody was checking on that. But when we took the ferry to Amalfi, walking along and looking at the beaches there, every single umbrella/chair was occupied at all of the lidos.

In short, that article may have been written in May or beginning of June for its deadline and then printed (as happens often to me as a writer, my deadline was last week for an article that will print in October), but things are definitely not uncrowded on the Amalfi Coast! One gruff guy in Positano turned us away when we wanted to sit down for something cold to drink at 11:15, telling us "we are not a bar but a restaurant!" Well, if you wanted to make easy, fast money you could have served us an overpriced drink, seeing as nobody was there and the tables looked like cafe tables more than dining tables.

TOO crowded for us - lesson learned. Staying in Basilicata/Cilento for beach outings!
 
I am so surprised by this (Amalfi Coast being crowded). I've read posts on Instagram by expats living in Italy and traveling to the Amalfi Coast and how empty it was. I bet everything changed recently. It is prime holiday season now for all Europeans and Brits are no longer going to Spain (because the UK has imposed a quarantine on Brits returning from Spain), so maybe everyone is heading to the "empty" Amalfi Coast.
 
@Pauline _ Right! We'd been seeing the same things in Italian articles and posts, which is why we thought it was a good chance to go. I think everyone held off on traveling until recently; despite moving out of the quarantine phase and being able to travel around since June 3, it's only been the past few weeks that Italians have really started traveling. And add in the arriving Brits and European, the article above doesn't stand anymore.
 
From today's Guardian :

Italy: new infections jump by 38% in a day
The number of daily new coronavirus infections in Italy jumped 38% higher on Friday, with 552 confirmed cases registered compared to the previous day.
Italy has not seen a such a high daily new caseload since late May. Barely two weeks ago, Italy had been registering roughly 200 new cases a day, the Associated Press reports.
The northeastern region of Veneto, which performed nearly 16,500 swab tests in a day, registered roughly a third of those new cases 183.
Veneto governor Luca Zaia said the new infections were found in residents who recently returned home from Spain, Peru, Malta, Croatia and Greece.
Vacations are a risk,” he said in his daily briefing. Everyone must decide where they want to go on vacation, but it’s also true, that by us, for a couple of weeks now, we’re seeing a concentration of patients who were infected on vacation.’’
 
I appreciate the posts from Valerie and Joe, but even though I "Like"'d them, I didn't like what I was reading. I've been holding out hope that our planned trip to Rome in December could still happen, but that is looking less and less "Like"ly. :(
 
As @joe posted, the cases are rising. Certainly they're not high like in March and April, but there is concern, and they will continue to go up over the next several weeks with people on vacation. Places are PACKED. There are very few vacation rentals available for August, lots of Italians traveling now, plus European visitors. So, cases will keep rising, but hopefully not a huge spike. They're saying they won't do another full shut-down, though region by region may do stricter measures as they watch the numbers.
 
They're saying they won't do another full shut-down, though region by region may do stricter measures as they watch the numbers.

That seems to be the policy adopted by many countries who are now going through the second round, be it a "wave" or a "spike". It seems to strike the right balance between being cautious, while keeping some sort of "normal" economic and social routine alive. It also sends out a message of being "fair" - places that will be careful will be rewarded with continuing easing of restrictions, and those that aren't - will go back a few paces. No need to punish everyone, like in the first wave.

And there's also school that will open in two weeks, with all the complications involved with that...

Good luck to Italy.
 

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