Rome in the Time of COVID

After two years, and a worldwide pandemic, we finally made it back to Rome in October, 2021.  

Getting to Rome

Flight planning

Rome may be eternal, but we experienced changes before we even set foot on Italian soil. United Airlines used to have seasonal direct non-stop flights from Washington, DC to Rome, but those stopped during the pandemic, so we booked on Alitalia. But then Alitalia shuttered operations and cancelled the flight.  So, we booked on United, opting to have our change of planes in Newark wary of COVID rule complications related to laying over in a third country.

Getting in: pre-departure COVID testing

Besides proof of vaccination, a negative COVID test result was required to enter Italy. Consequently, we scheduled test for the day before our flight at a local pharmacy (CVS). Administering the test was quick and efficient — results took all of 15 minutes — and it was covered by our insurance.  We uploaded the results with the airline’s app, and filled out the required EU passenger locator form online.  All in all, maybe one hour to deal with everything.  

And then we were finally headed back to Rome, masks on, bottle of hand sanitizer at the ready.  There is definitely a bit of stress traveling now… someone sneezes, including yourself, and it’s only natural to cringe.

That being said, our flights were uneventful.  No one at FCO asked to see our vaccination cards, and we went through Immigration quickly.  

The first change we noticed:  drivers can no longer meet you inside the terminal.   But we made it home quickly.  

Being in Rome

There are some changes in the neighborhood.  There are plenty of renovations going on in the immediate vicinity, which is good.  On the other hand, two hotels in our neighborhood are now closed; the local champagne bar (doesn’t every neighborhood need one?) is closed; and a few shops look closed.  Alas, the coffee bar in our palazzo, as well as the old reliable Ciro’s pizzeria down the street, have closed.

The changes due to COVID are many.  We were asked to show our CDC card demonstrating that we were vaccinated at every museum we went to, and at multiple (but not all) restaurants when dining indoors — it was not required for dining outside.

A sign stating a “Green Pass” is required

 

And, a sign requiring masks to be worn

Even in churches, there were signs advising to distance in the pews and aisles (pictured at the top of this post) as well as other attempts at social distancing.

Separate “enter/exit” directions at Galleria Alberto Sordi — not much to actually encourage social distance

There were hand sanitizer bottles here and there. People were very used to these and used them without hesitation upon entering and exiting establishments.

Hand sanitizer at the entrance to a church

We always snicker at some of the selections in Rome’s vending machines, but were happy to see that disposable masks were now part of the inventory.

Vending machine with, amongst the various intimate items, disposable masks

Almost every restaurant we went to had outdoor seating, and we could see at old favorites that the outdoor seating had been expanded; indoor seating, however, is sometimes closed.  

Rome looked pretty much back to normal, at least when it comes to dining outside.

People were pretty good when it came to masking, which is required on public transportation and inside buildings (except when eating).  90% were fully masked, perhaps another 8% were doing the mask-on-your-mouth-but-not-your-nose thing or were slow to put their masks on when entering a place, and maybe 2% were just breaking the rules and blatantly not masking.

Some people wearing masks even where not required, such as the open-air area in Bramante’s Cloisters

I will say, riding the metro during rush hour felt like being in a petri dish — it was often packed, and there were multiple young people not wearing masks.  Buses felt safer, and some had windows cracked open for better air flow.  All taxi drivers we encountered were good at masking (and perhaps having actually missed tourists for over a year, most were very chatty!)

All in all, we felt much safer in Rome than we do in the U.S.  After all, when you go into a place, you know that (in theory at least) all adults around you should be vaccinated.  The mask wearing is pretty good as well, although as always, there are a few dolts here and there.

Leaving Rome

Getting tested for departure

Another change — going back to the U.S. means you need to get tested even if you are fully vaccinated.  Our flight was on Sunday, so we scheduled our COVID test for Saturday at a pharmacy near the apartment.  We used the Farmacia Della Scrofa, which was a short walk away from us, past Montecitorio, on the tiny Piazza Cardelli. 

The sign to get the COVID test (and, as you can see, no line)

 

The little piazza, with benches, where we got tested

 

You get swabbed in the tent, takes all of one minute

We had appointments later in the day and the pharmacy staff said we could come any time. So we woke up early Saturday and decided to get it done early just in case there were any problems. We were the only ones there, and our results were done in minutes (the results were negative); but we would have to wait for a text message or email to have something in an officially acceptable form. The cost for the two of us was 44 euros. 

It took perhaps two hours to get our respective emails of our test results from the same pharmacy, which included a PDF with a QR code for the temporary “Green Pass.”  There was also an email from the Ministero della Salute, which included an alphanumeric code and recommended we upload the test results to the Immuni app. We tried the app avenue for some time but could not get it to work, possibly because we do not have an Italian Health Insurance Card (tessera sanititaria).  Exasperated, we decided to focus on getting the info to United.  We took a picture of the QR code only, thinking this would be the most efficient way to get the data to United. Fifteen to 20 minutes later, we were notified both our test results had been rejected by the airline’s system. Our second attempt, which did work, was photographing not just the QR code but the entire test results document.  We also printed out a paper copy — our apartment comes with a printer for guest use — so we could have something physical to show at the airport.

At the airport

We had no problems at the airport.  There was somebody in uniform at the entrance checking for test results, but not really taking a close look at them.  I should say we had no unexpected problems at the airport.  We always have the same grievance with respect to international departures at FCO: information on where to go and where to line up is not clear nor forthcoming. Nevertheless, we made it home easily.  

All in all…

Despite the pandemic, it was wonderful to be back in the Eternal City. It has weathered many pandemics of the ages, and still remains. Appropriately, this appeared on the sidewalk during our stay, 

This says it all

Published by spanishstepsapartment

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In the heart of Rome's Historic Center, between the beautiful Spanish Steps and the famous Trevi Fountain, this luxury two bedroom, two bathroom apartment is surrounded by fine dining and fabulous shopping. It is within walking distance of the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, and many other historic sites and museums, and near the subway, taxi stands, bus stops, and bike rental. Located in a traditional Roman palazzo, the apartment was fully renovated in late 2010 and is now available for vacation and short-term rental.