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What to expect when travelling to Italy this spring

If you're planning a visit to Italy in the coming warmer months, here's what you need to know about Covid rules, strikes, and more.

Published: 20 March 2023 13:19 CET
Updated: 26 March 2023 08:58 CEST
Spring is one of the best times of year to visit Italy.
Here's what to expect when visiting Italy this spring. Photo by Tiziana FABI / AFP.

Spring is one of the best times of year to visit Italy, and with Covid travel restrictions now a thing of the past, international visitors can look forward to a hassle-free trip this year.

READ ALSO: Nine of Italy’s best events to catch in spring 2023

But while Covid’s unlikely to disrupt your plans, upcoming transport strikes and potential drought restrictions could throw some curveballs your way, and it’s always best to plan accordingly.

With this in mind, here’s what to expect on your trip to Italy this spring.

Covid rules

There are no longer any Covid-based requirements for entering Italy from abroad, or for accessing goods and services within the country.

Anyone who tests positive for the virus is required to isolate for up to five days, but can leave as soon as they test negative.

Under current Italian law, those who leave isolation after five days without a negative test should wear an FFP2 mask in public until the tenth day from the onset of symptoms or first positive test result.

Anyone who comes into close contact with someone who has tested positive should wear an FFP2 mask indoors or in crowded spaces up to the fifth day from the last point of contact.

Masks are required in hospitals until April 30th, 2023.

While masks are otherwise no longer mandated in Italy, you’ll still see plenty of people wearing them on public transport and in shops, and in some places you may see signs asking you to put one on as a courtesy to the staff.

Transport strikes

Italy has recently been hit by a series of nationwide transport strikes by workers protesting high living costs and job insecurity. Airports, trains and local public transport services are all affected. 

Several nationwide and local strikes have been announced for late March and April, including an air traffic operators strike on the afternoon of April 2nd and a nationwide train strike from Trenitalia staff on April 14th.

READ ALSO: Calendar: The transport strikes to expect in Italy this spring

Staff at Milan’s main public transport operator, ATM, will strike on March 31st and April 19th.

Keep checking The Local’s strike coverage for the most up to date information on transport strikes.

Weather

In the first half of 2022, along with much of the rest of Europe, Italy experienced a record-breaking heatwave and drought, with temperatures more than 10°C above the norm.

Scientists fear Italy may experience further severe drought this spring, in which case some areas could experience water shortages and be subject to restrictions on filling swimming pools and other non-essential uses.

READ ALSO: Why Italy is braced for another major drought this spring

If you’re a regular visitor to Italy, temperatures may be higher than you’re used to for the time of year: check the forecast before coming and pack accordingly.

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TRAVEL NEWS

What will Europe’s EES passport checks mean for dual nationals?

The EU's Entry & Exit System (EES) of enhanced passport checks will usher in big changes for travellers - here we answer readers' questions on the position for dual nationals.

Published: 22 April 2024 17:10 CEST
What will Europe's EES passport checks mean for dual nationals?

The EU is preparing, after many delays, to introduce the EES system for travel in and out of Europe.

You can find a full explanation of how it works HERE, but in essence it is an enhanced passport check – registering biometric details such as fingerprints and facial scans and introducing an automatic calculation of how long you have stayed within the EU/Schengen zone in order to detect ‘over-stayers’.

And it’s already causing stress for travellers. We asked readers of The Local to share their questions here – and one of the biggest worries was how the system will work for dual nationals ie people who have a passport for both an EU country and a non-EU country.

EES: Your questions answered

EU passports 

One of the main purposes of EES is to detect ‘over-stayers’ – people who have either stayed in the EU longer than their visa allows or non-EU nationals who have over-stayed their allowance of 90 days in every 180.

As this does not apply to EU nationals, people travelling on an EU passport are not required to do EES pre-registration and will continue to travel in the same way once EES is introduced – going to the ‘EU passports queue’ at airports, ports and stations and having their passports scanned as normal.

Non-EU 

Non-EU travellers will, once EES is up and running, be required to complete EES pre-registration.

This means that the first time they cross an EU/Schengen zone external border they will have to go to a special zone of the airport/port/terminal and supply extra passport information including fingerprints and a facial scan.

This only needs to be done once and then lasts for three years.

Non-EU residents of the EU/Schengen zone

This does not apply to non-EU citizens who are permanent residents of an EU country or who have a long-stay visa for an EU/Schengen zone country – click HERE for full details.

Schengen zone passports/Irish passports 

EES applies within the Schengen zone, so people with Swiss, Norwegian and Icelandic passports are treated in the same way as citizens of EU countries.

Ireland and Cyprus are in the EU but not the Schengen zone – these countries will not be using the EES system at their borders, but their citizens are still EU citizens so can continue to use EU passport gates at airports and will be treated the same as all other EU citizens (ie they don’t have to do EES pre-registration).

OK, so what if you have both an EU and a non-EU passport?

They key thing to remember about EES is that it doesn’t actually change any of the rules on immigration – it’s just a way of better enforcing the rules that are already in place. 

Therefore the rules for dual nationals remain as they are – for most people which passport to travel on is a matter of personal choice, although Americans should be aware that if you have a US passport and you are entering the USA, you must use your American passport. 

But it’s also important to remember that the passports of dual nationals are not ‘linked’ – therefore if you present an American passport at the Italian border, you will be treated exactly the same as every other American, there is no way for the border guard to know that you are also Italian.

Likewise if you are a UK-Germany dual national and you travel back to the UK on your German passport, you can expect to be treated the same as every other German at the border, and might be asked for proof of where you are staying in UK, how long you intend to stay etc – the system has no way of knowing that you are also British. 

Therefore whether you have to complete EES pre-registration or not is entirely a matter of which passport you are travelling on – if you use your EU passport you won’t have to do it, if you use your non-EU passport you will.

It’s also possible to use two passports for the same trip – so let’s say you’re travelling from Spain to Canada – you enter Canada on your Canadian passport, and show your Canadian passport again when you leave. However, once you re-enter Spain you show your Spanish passport in order to benefit from the unlimited length of stay.

If you’re travelling between France and the UK via the Eurostar, Channel Tunnel or cross-Channel ferry, you need to remember that the Le Touquet agreement means that French passport checks take place in the UK and vice versa. You can still use both passports, but you just need to keep your wits about you and remember to hand the French one to the French border guards and the British one to British guards.

In terms of avoiding immigration formalities using two passports is the most efficient way for dual nationals to travel, but some people prefer to stick to one passport for simplicity, or don’t want to keep both passports together in case of theft.

Basically it’s a personal choice, but you just need to remember that you will be treated according to the passport that you show – which includes completing EES pre-registration if you’re showing a non-EU passport.

It’s also worth remembering that if the changes do cause border delays (and there are fears that they might especially at the UK-France border), then these will affect all travellers – regardless of their passport. 

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