What do holidays in Italy look like now?
In the remarkably regulation-free summer of 2020 a steady trickle of British visitors was a minor godsend for Italy's hard-hit tourism industry. This year, quarantine requirements in place at both ends have been a massive travel-deterrent. As the UK confirms the lifting of its restrictions for the double-vaccinated, Italy has shown little interest in waiving its five-day stay-at-home order for arrivals from the UK before it expires on 31 July. Some experts have pointed to the numbers (1,010 new cases in Italy on Wednesday, against the UK's 32,548) and have in fact demanded an extension of the rule. The Italian rules mean that short breaks, for the time being, are out of the question. Newly liberated double-vaccinated Brits may decide it's a small price to pay for an escape to the sun. Heres what it's like to go on holiday in Italy right now. Italy's exit from the harshest of lockdowns has been gradual and anything but triumphalistic, with the progression from red- to orange to far more lenient white-zone status decided region by region on the basis of statistics. Statistics which naturally can be wielded to reverse any region's status if the situation deteriorates. Italy's vaccine roll-out began shakily but picked up speed, with 41 per cent of over-12s now fully vaccinated and 67 per cent at least half way there; with the Delta variant currently estimated to account for around 22 per cent of Italian cases, it's a race to extend coverage. On June 28 the whole country became a white zone, with no more limits on travel between geographical areas and some raising of caps on gatherings and events. On the same day rules on mask-wearing were eased: though still obligatory indoors, face coverings are no longer necessary outside except in crowded areas.