You'll no longer need a 'green pass' to move throughout Italy
With just weeks to go before we can officially say the summer travel season is underway, Italy joined the list of countries that have greatly relaxed COVID-19 restrictions as the month of May kicks off. The country was among the hardest hit in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, it has spent a good portion of the last couple of years with tight restrictions that have governed not just who can cross its borders, but where they can go.
As of May 1, though, Italy removed the requirement that tourists (and residents) display a "green pass" to get into just about anywhere you would want to go if you were visiting the country.
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As TPG reported during visits to Italy last year, the green pass and "super green pass" requirements essentially served as versions of what you might have thought of as "vaccine passports," required for access to everything from restaurants and bars to hotels, museums and even ski lifts. The pass gave leeway to unvaccinated travelers, too, since those who had recovered from COVID-19 could get a pass that would stay valid for a shorter time. Those who had just tested negative for the virus could also get a short-term pass.
This all goes away, essentially, under the new changes. You won’t need a green pass to get into public places once you’re actually in Italy.
The change certainly means easier movement around the country for tourists, just as Italy — along with much of Europe — prepares to welcome international visitors this summer, its biggest wave since before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Getting into Italy
You'll still need to upload some documentation to get into the country. However, the entry requirements are pretty flexible to allow for both vaccinated and unvaccinated visitors.
If you’re vaccinated, uploading proof of the shots received within the last nine months is all you need. If you’re not vaccinated, you’ll have to either upload proof of a negative test taken within the last 48 hours, or show documentation that you've recovered from COVID-19 within the last six months.
On the official tourism site for Italy, there’s a questionnaire that will help walk you through what documentation you’ll need based on your own vaccination and/or COVID-19 history.
Related: Italy is reopening: 11 things I learned as a tourist
Masks
One thing that’s not going away even as Italy loosens its green pass requirements for tourism within the country is masks.
Through at least June 15, Italy’s government is continuing to require face coverings on public transportation, as well as for indoor gathering places like theaters, cinemas, concert halls and indoor sporting events.
Getting to Italy
There’s been plenty said about high prices for travel as we head into the summer — to the point I wrote a story about why you should consider traveling in the fall instead of the summer. However, I was encouraged to find some pretty decent airfares to Italy – if you book right away and plan to travel at the beginning of summer.
Checking Google Flights, one of the cheapest options out of the New York area I found for the entire summer travel season involved a departure on Memorial Day on SAS. For $481 you can get a round trip between Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) and Rome Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci Airport (FCO). You’ll have a short layover in Copenhagen on the way out. On the way home, you’ll have a one-night stopover there — not long enough to do much sightseeing, but you could grab a quick breakfast in the city before your flight home to Newark.
Meanwhile, one of the best options I found out of Los Angeles is actually going to come even before summer gets underway. In fact, start packing if you want to save: You leave two weeks from today. The round trip involves a combination of Star Alliance partners. The outbound trip on United includes a short layover in Chicago, with a brief stop in Montreal on the return trip aboard Air Canada. The round trip goes for $786, which isn't bad considering many of the best fares fall in the $1,000-$1,100 range as May turns to June.
If you’re looking to use miles for your trip to Italy, considering how the prices are looking as we get into June, I was fairly satisfied to find a round trip between Newark and Rome for 57,200 MileagePlus miles on United. You’ll also only pay $74 in fees, which is an improvement from what you can often end up paying on plenty of carriers (including United) for transatlantic flights.
Where to stay
Many travelers are gearing up to spend points this summer for their overseas trips. I found some great redemptions in Italy for those looking to book hotels.
Checking for the last week of May, around the same time I found some of the best airfares, one of the best redemptions I found in Rome was at the Westin Excelsior. It’s an absolutely beautiful property, with Roman architecture and decor. Also, if you bring your tennis shoes, it's walkable to some of the city’s biggest tourist attractions like the Pantheon and Trevi Fountain.
A three-night stay came to a total of $1,855, but you can get the same stay for 177,000 Marriott Bonvoy points — which are worth about $1,416, according to TPG’s latest valuations.
After the three-night stay in Rome, perhaps it’s time to move on to Florence, reachable by train within a couple of hours.
At the IL Tornabuoni Hotel in Florence, a World of Hyatt property, the nightly rate of 29,000 points (worth about $493, per TPG’s valuations) is a great rate compared to the average $684 cash rate.
Related: 6 reasons to visit Florence, Italy
Italy's health status
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention currently places Italy at Level 3 on its Travel Health Notices page. That means the agency considers Italy to have a "high" level of COVID-19 spread. However, Italy is far from alone in that ranking. The CDC also places nearly all of Europe at Level 3, as well as North America, including the United States.
Bottom line
To get into Italy, you need proof of vaccination, a negative test or recent recovery from COVID-19. Once in the country, masks are still required in crowded indoor public areas. However, you’re now much freer to go where you please without being stopped to show a green pass.
Better yet, as travel ramps up for the summer months, there are still some decent airfare deals and hotel points redemptions out there if you book soon!
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- Earn 90,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months.
- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year upon renewal of your Card. Payment of the government imposed taxes and fees of no more than $80 for roundtrip domestic flights (for itineraries with up to four flight segments) is required. Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. See terms and conditions for details.
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- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels.
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- Enjoy a per-visit rate of $50 per person for Card Members and up to two guests to enter the Delta Sky Club when traveling on a Delta flight.
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Rewards Rate
3X | Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels. |
2X | Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S. and at U.S. supermarkets. |
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Earn 90,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months.Earn 90,000 Bonus Miles50,000 Bonus MilesAnnual Fee
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Why We Chose It
Build your loyalty to Delta by applying for the carrier's mid-tier card option, the Delta SkyMiles Platinum card. The annual fee is quickly recouped by the card's travel perks, such as an application credit to Global Entry or TSA Precheck, annual companion certificate and so much more. Plus you can fast-track to elite status simply through card spend.Pros
- Earn bonus Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) and an Medallion Qualifying Dollar (MQD) waiver when you hit specific spending thresholds with your card within a calendar year
- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year
- Statement credit for TSA PreCheck/Global Entry fee (up to $100)
- First checked bag free
Cons
- Doesn't make sense if you don't fly Delta
- SkyMiles aren't the most valuable airline currency
- Earn 90,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months.
- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year upon renewal of your Card. Payment of the government imposed taxes and fees of no more than $80 for roundtrip domestic flights (for itineraries with up to four flight segments) is required. Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. See terms and conditions for details.
- Enjoy your first checked bag free on Delta flights. Plus enjoy Main Cabin 1 Priority Boarding and settle into your seat sooner.
- New: Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels.
- Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide including takeout and delivery in the U.S., and at U.S. supermarkets.
- Earn 1X Mile on all other eligible purchases.
- Enjoy a per-visit rate of $50 per person for Card Members and up to two guests to enter the Delta Sky Club when traveling on a Delta flight.
- Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® after you apply through any Authorized Enrollment Provider. If approved for Global Entry, at no additional charge, you will receive access to TSA PreCheck.
- Earn up to 20,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) with Status Boost® per year. After you spend $25,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year, you can earn 10,000 MQMs up to two times per year, getting you closer to Medallion® Status. MQMs are used to determine Medallion® Status and are different than miles you earn toward flights.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- $250 Annual Fee.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees