As a Brit with a holiday home in Northern Italy,

05/06/2021 - 04:55

As a Brit with a holiday home in Northern Italy, its been over a year since I have been able to visit it.  Last time was in February 2020, when the highlight was a meal out with Italian friends in a crowded restaurant in Bergamo!  Luckily, no ill effects.

My question is -

When do people think its a sensible time to drive down to the house? 

[Flying doesn't appeal, as sitting for 2 hours with probably unvaccinated fellow travellers, plus mega delays at airports doesn't float my boat]

My gut reaction, if I want to avoid quarantine problems, is around New Year.  Hopefully quarantine and test costs will have been and gone by then,  Anyway - if you are driving - how do you get tested before returning to Blighty?

 

any views?

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I would avoid the winter due to poor driving weather and you will need chains or winter tyres. I would aim for September or October when France and Italy will have caught up with vaccinations and I think you might not need testing if vaccine passports are introduced in some form. Plus schools will be back.

Hi. 

We are planning to go at the end of July provided Italy is not on the red list.

As far as I understand at the moment we would need to take a covid test within 3 days of our return to the UK.

I am planning to take my trailer but practically empty except for personal suitcases just to see how the customs crossings go.

As for winter driving it has never been a problem except for a self induced mistake when I took our rear wheel drive Mercedes estate (which was allergic to snow) off the clear main road onto a tiny unmade track with sheet ice! I wished I had practiced putting the chains on before that baptism of fire and looked to the satnav better. 

 

Clueless in Italy.

The problem I foresee is the test requirements before you get back into the UK.   Current understanding of the rules for Green countries, (and Italy and France will probably be the stricter Amber rating), is:-

"People arriving in the UK from "green list" countries will need to take a pre-departure test in that country"

That obviously means getting a re-entry test in France  because you will be entering UK from there.  A recipe for disaster and bankruptcy if its anything like the charges Calais vets levied for giving required treatment to dogs returning to UK.

I just worry that driving back will be so fraught with unknowns.

 

 

This is the extract from the UK gov site. It appears that you can take the test in Italy prior to traveling back. 

 

I can concur with your comments calais vets as we had to use their services once when the Italian vet completed the wrong sections. 

Expensive. 

 

 

Where to take your test

You can choose to take a test:

  • in the place where you start your journey
  • in another country on your way to England, if you are travelling through another country

We are planning on driving down at the end of May to our home in Northern Italy (laden down with proof of residency, vaccinations etc). Rules seem to be changing all the time but we expect to have to have a test when we get to Italy (possibly at the testing centre at Bologna airport which is en route to our house) and maybe a test before we leave the UK. Italy is looking at how to make it easier for foreigners especially if they've had both vaccines. Hopefully by the time we return to the uk in July things will be more relaxed and we won't not need the 2 tests and isolation currently required. I will let you know how we get on. 

https://www.sem.admin.ch/sem/en/home/sem/aktuell/faq-einreiseverweigerung.html#2005127624

As we have residency we should be allowed to transit through Switzerland. ?Will let you know if it all goes wrong! 

It also appears that you are allowed to travel through Switzerland if you are entering from a schegen country and traveling onto a schegen country and have followed the French entry requirements ( negative test within 72 hrs and. Declaration).

You should be fine.

 

Good luck and please update

Clueless is right. Friends of ours passed through Switzerland and, as usual, the only thing they were interested in was whether you had a vignette.

Vignette-

we enter Switzerland near Mulhouse, but pop over the border onto the German autobahn and get the vignette at the German services at Bad Bellingham.   

"Simples"

We buy our vignette at the last German service station if via Germany or at the border if via Pontarlier. Always pay with card as if use euro then the change is in CHF which not even enough to pay for all the pay toilets now at service stations.  As others have said they are keen on vignettes even starting to unpeel it to make sure it is used. Be interesting to see how these intrepid early travellers get on. Good luck to them. I. Can't wait to drive once the paperwork and testing settles down.

 

I shall get all wistful. We go to Tuscany and the route Calais, Arras, Reims, St Dizier, Pontarlier, Lausanne, then into Italy via Gran St Bernard (lovely diner on the Italian side at the Agip), Etrouble, then down to Genova. It pretty well follows the via Francigena and is a straight line. You can choose Nationales or autoroutes in France. Quiet roads and some lovely towns such as Laon, Langres, Aosta. We do vary to the route some years such as via Mulhouse and lake Como or south via Annecy. Frankly any route would be great right now.

Dont know about Tony 114, but the Pontarlier route is one we use when we take the dog with us - good hotels where dogs are more than welcome (ie. They can go inside restaurants if it's too wet/cold to eat on terraces) in Bapaume, Beze and Sion

It's an easy route, with plenty of motorway driving and the drive above lake Geneva is great for views.  Also, the drive up the Simplon Pass is one of the most scenic.

Problem is the autoroute charges make it more expensive than the Mulhouse route.

Hi. I said I’d let you know how we got on last week when driving from the U.K. to Emilia Romagna.

The journey itself was very straightforward although we had to avoid the French 9 pm curfew and we found out the night before we departed that we wouldn't be allowed to transit through Switzerland (went via the Mt Blanc tunnel which was particularly gruelling as we’d bought our vignettes in advance).

At Eurotunnel we were asked if we’d had a negative PCR tests but didn’t have to show the results. At no point on the journey did we need to produce the wealth of paperwork we’d had to complete and the France/Italy border was unmanned.

The only other potential problem was that the PCR test to enter italy which should be taken within 48 hours of arrival in italy. As most tests take 24 hours to get the results (which are also required to enter France) it was impossible for us to meet this timing. So we had our test at 3pm on Tuesday and entered italy around 7pm on Thursday. As I said, no one checked. 

Restrictions have now changed for entering France from the U.K. and I haven’t been able to find out for sure whether transit to italy is permitted. Going back we’ll be fine as we’ll be entering France from an EU but thereafter we may need to resort to flying out. 

I found this website very useful in checking what documents were required for each country. https://apply.joinsherpa.com/travel-restrictions

Btw as regards Brexit, we had a car full of ‘stuff’, old and new, as well as food and encountered no problems. 
 

 

Can I add my thanks as well. Looks like France is off limits without a quarantine. A British chap on You Tube travels from Austria to Italy and was having tests at Italian chemists for euro 50 some with appointment and some just walk in. I think even that requirement is being lifted within the EU. Hopefully this here will be some sort of vaccine passport that might make it easier.

Interesting that "nobody checked" on entering Italy from France.

However, one of my concerns is "how do you cope with getting a PCR test to enter the UK?" ........   

Getting one done in Italy has timing probs on getting into UK, and yes, I know that you can drive non stop to the Channel port/terminus- but that isn't practical for us old timers, or  something I'd want to do anyway.   

I guess a bit academic at the moment as France has controls on UK due to Indian variant. The net suggests having to see where test are available in town where last overnighting. Costs seem modest and availablity good. I agree France too nice to rush to to through. Anyhow situation seems uncertain except for intrepid souls.

Returned from italy last week, you don't need a pcr test to return to the uk, a "rapid tampone test" at a farmacia or airport (€20) is acceptable, remember to get ge the result in english, uk requirement !, just ask for "tampone per viaggio", lazio government has put a maximum price of €22 on testing, pity uk gov don't follow their lead.

She57 I did say the lazio region has capped the price at €22, not to sure where your situated !, I know both Rome and Naples airports are also €22 which can be prebooked at ADR.IT, good luck.

Bologna airport has testing facilities but the website states that it is only for those who are flying. As we drive I checked out the free Red Cross testing at Bologna train station (also at many other major stations). It seems that the antigen test they offer meets U.K. entry requirements with results in half an hour and in English. For us, this seems to be the best option. 

I see a 5 day quarantine rule has been announced in respect of British tourists, effective from tomorrow.

Well, maybe its not as bad as it first looks.  

Italy has introduced the quarantine measure to deal with the outbreak of the Delta variant in UK. Fair enough.  

This evening on BBC Radio 4 news, most of the covid experts seemed to agree that we are just below the peak for the Delta variant outbreak. They expect the numbers to peak in the next 14 days.  I think 7 days after that 14 day lead-in to the peak, if the figures are by then on a downward trajectory, the Italian government will take note and act accordingly.

So..... in 21 days from Monday 21 June, (say around 12 July) you may read that the quarantine rule is being relaxed.  Then you can travel to Italy.  I think you take the same route we do, as you mention in a previous post that wonderful Proscutteria at the AGIP on the Italian side of the Great St Bernard Tunnel. 

In reply to by chris18

I hope you're right. I love the old Roman route which largely follows la Francigena across France, Switzerland and Italy as I make my pilgrimage to Italy albeit in a Ford rather than on foot. Stop at the same place as you for a first and last cafe if on that route. Thanks for the positive view. Amusing Brit on You Tube 'not useless yet' doing up a place in northern Tuscany. He has the advantage of living in Austria at least for travel.

I hope my positivity is not misplaced!  After Eurotunnel Calais, we head to Troyes, nice old medieval centre and some good restaurants to eat outside.  At this stage it's full on holiday mode in the car. After a night in Troyes we head also to Lausanne, via some of the villages in the Jura.  

I have to confess the restaurant prices in Lausanne make me happy that my end destination is Italy.  From Lausanne we head to The Great St Bernard tunnel.  Now, I don't know what your experiences have been in continental tunnels, but we've previously used the Mont Blanc tunnel (busy-ish and pricey) and the Gottard tunnel (mass tourism but free).  The best one of those two in my opinion is the Gottard. If you go Gottard, there's a great service station at Stalvedro Sud and you are surrounded by people with big smiles on their faces as they are all holiday bound, but what hit's you is the sudden change in the landscape - you've entered the Gottard in something which is very Swiss, but you exit to a landscape which so Italian. The Great St Bernard is as you know not too busy and reasonably priced, with the addition of that cafe at the AGIP.  The on in to Italia!

 

I hope my positivity is not misplaced!  After Eurotunnel Calais, we head to Troyes, nice old medieval centre and some good restaurants to eat outside.  At this stage it's full on holiday mode in the car. After a night in Troyes we head also to Lausanne, via some of the villages in the Jura.  

I have to confess the restaurant prices in Lausanne make me happy that my end destination is Italy.  From Lausanne we head to The Great St Bernard tunnel.  Now, I don't know what your experiences have been in continental tunnels, but we've previously used the Mont Blanc tunnel (busy-ish and pricey) and the Gottard tunnel (mass tourism but free).  The best one of those two in my opinion is the Gottard. If you go Gottard, there's a great service station at Stalvedro Sud and you are surrounded by people with big smiles on their faces as they are all holiday bound, but what hit's you is the sudden change in the landscape - you've entered the Gottard in something which is very Swiss, but you exit to a landscape which so Italian. The Great St Bernard is as you know not too busy and reasonably priced, with the addition of that cafe at the AGIP.  The on in to Italia!

 

I want to try Troyes as looks so pretty. I've eaten the eponymous andouillette so I deserve to see the town. I will look out for that service station south of the Gottard so thanks. I love passes so I have done Mt Cenis and the Petit San Bernard which pretty and not challenging and cheap but not as fast as Mt Blanc tunnel. Usual route is across WW1 battlefields of northern France, so moving, pay homage at a couple of sites. Stopping in Arras, Laon, Reims, etc then a stretch onto Besancon or Pontarlier which lovely and alpine and quiet. Then dash across Switzerland, Gt San Bernard pass into Italy as it feels like an adventure. Cafe at Agip or pretty Etroubles and onwards for dinner and end south of Pisa. Return journey similar but it is much harder as uphill all the way home and it rains once across the Alps.

I want to try Troyes as looks so pretty. I've eaten the eponymous andouillette so I deserve to see the town. I will look out for that service station south of the Gottard so thanks. I love passes so I have done Mt Cenis and the Petit San Bernard which pretty and not challenging and cheap but not as fast as Mt Blanc tunnel. Usual route is across WW1 battlefields of northern France, so moving, pay homage at a couple of sites. Stopping in Arras, Laon, Reims, etc then a stretch onto Besancon or Pontarlier which lovely and alpine and quiet. Then dash across Switzerland, Gt San Bernard pass into Italy as it feels like an adventure. Cafe at Agip or pretty Etroubles and onwards for dinner and end south of Pisa. Return journey similar but it is much harder as uphill all the way home and it rains once across the Alps.

I think you would enjoy Troyes.

We've not stopped at any of the War memorials but every time we pass the Forest at Verdun.  Homage is not a strong enough word. 

I see you stay south of Pisa.  Have you ever been on the ferry to Elba?  We have'nt  been to Elba but I would be interested to hear if you have.

In reply to by chris18

Ferry to Elba very straightforward from Piombino to Portoferraio. It was years ago but just a very short hop. Feasible to do it as a day trip as frequent service.

Done a bit more research. Ferry companies are Toremar, Moby and Blu&Navy. Takes 1 hour. High season cost for two adults and a large car euro 200 return. Last time I went ages ago we hired mopeds from the quayside as avoided taking the car so we could get into the tighter coves. My foggy memories is of a pretty coast line with nooks and crannies worth exploring by boat. I only did day trips because I stay near Pisa. The centre of Piombino is pretty but you wouldn't guess that from the past iron ore industry.