Hi there! Here I am again! I have just realised that my last blog was dated 2018! .
We all know very well, the last two/three years have been very difficult. We had a global pandemic that has changed not only our lives but also our way of travelling, so keeping up with all the restrictions and rules have made writing a travel blog very challenging, almost impossible and quite frankly, very depressing. So I am sorry for this long absence. I will try to write more often because there is still so much more to know about my wonderful city and region.
I have to say I really do miss travelling. Properly travelling, discovering new places, new countries, new cultures. It’s one of the things I have been missed the most. I have been travelling back and fourth between England and Italy for family reasons and had few outings in Italy without going too far. But I so miss that excited spirit that comes with a new adventure! As I said before our way of travelling has changed and so did we. A lot of people were (and still are) very scared to go to a foreign country, without knowing if they have to quarantine, having tests, etc. Let’s face it. It also has been very expensive and quite stressful to travel. Book the right test for all the family, get the green pass, quarantine in a hotel, ‘no you might not need to quarantine’, etc. How many times did you hear all this?
Fear also changed everything. I went to Ischia last August and even though it’s still my favourite, it was strangely too quiet, not as buzzy as it used to be. Most of the tourists were italians or local.
Thankfully, the situation is getting better everywhere. Now when you come to Italy, you don’t need to quarantine or show a negative test anymore. Since April 1st, all the travel restrictions have stopped. Hooray!
Even wearing masks indoors and having to show your green pass (the QR code showing you had two jabs and a booster) when travelling or indoors restaurants and bars has stopped.
If you test positive, you still need to quarantine until you have a negative result and must wear a mask.
Hopefully, even those few restrictions will drop by the end of April/beginning of May, so we can all enjoy the summer, the very first summer without stress!
I can’t wait to write more about my region. This summer, to celebrate the end of the pandemic, there are a lot of events and new places opening to visit for the very first time.
A place I definitely will write about is the island of Procida that this year has been nominated as Italian Capital of Culture 2022. Many events on the land and sea have been organised and a taste of the flavours of the Mediterranean cuisine. Definitely a place to visit!!
Finally also in Napoli, tourists are slowly returning and actually, for the summer, many hotels and b&bs are already fully booked!
Of course, please consider that rules to visit museums and art galleries are changing on a daily basis so I will try and keep all information up to date. It is recommended to book ahead of a visit to a museum as now in many places there are limited spaces for visitors. Remember also that from April to October it is free entry in all museums every first Sunday of the month.
It’s so good to know that we can start to think about travelling again and return to our ‘normal’ life.
Napoli is finally open to the world once again! Welcome back! Bentornati!