With the recent lifting of the requirement for travelers to Italy to show a work-related reason for traveling, it’s getting easier to travel to Italy under the current COVID environment. As of June 13, 2021, travelers to Italy from the U.S. are still required to quarantine for 10 days after arrival to Italy. The latest entry requirements to Italy are listed on the Italian Ministry of Health’s website (see List D for U.S. requirements). There are some exceptions to the quarantine requirement:
1. Travel for certain transport crew members and for short-term stays
2. Travel on so-called COVID-tested flights
For most people, travel on COVID-tested flights offered by Delta, Alitalia, American, and United is the best solution. These flights require you to show a negative RT PCR or antigen test taken no earlier than 48 hours prior to boarding, and show another negative PCR or antigen test taken at the destination airport right after arrival.
Currently, approved COVID-tested routes include:
Atlanta – Rome Fiumicino
New York – Rome Fiumicino
Atlanta – Milan Malpensa
New York – Milan Malpensa
At Fiumicino, Malpensa, Naples Capodichino and Venice Marco Polo Airports, ‘Covid-tested’ flights are also operational from:
Canada
Japan
United Arab Emirates
You can contact your air carrier of choice for more information on these flights. My experience with Alitalia is they answer calls right away, but with Delta there are very long hold times.
Good luck with your travels, and hope to see you soon in Calabria!
Honestly the 1 Euro Italian House trend has just gotten bigger and bigger. A couple of weeks ago, I swore to you that there were none in Calabria that I could find.
Well, it appears that Mayor Michele Conia has risen to the challenge and made 1 Euro Italian houses available in his community of Cinquefrondi.
Cinquefondi literally translates to “Five Fronds” and the village is named for the fact that there were five separate communities of Greek and Byzantine origin that all came together and formed one community during the Middle Ages.
Ancient Italian House
Cinque Frondi is located on the bunion of the boot that is the Italian Peninsula. It rides along the crest of the Aspromonte Mountains and affords access to the sea on both sides.
Cinquefrondi
Mayor Michele, along with many other mayors in the region have been attempting to reverse the depopulation of their towns and villages due to the exodus of young people who have had to leave and look for work in the more populated areas.
He has christened his repatriation project, “Operation Beauty” and we whole heartedly support him in his efforts.
Cinquefrondi has also advertised the fact that it is a “Covid Free” community in that they were able to side step the COVID virus completely.
In fact, much of Calabria was able to escape the ravages of this virus by shutting down quickly and keeping a close eye on it. I have heard that there was not a single case of COVID in our village of Santa Domenica Talao either so well done to all of our mayors and city leaders in Calabria! You guys did great!
Here is a map of where we are n Santa Domenica Talao for comparison.
Santa Domenica Talao; Riviera Dei Cedri
Now let’s go over some facts about the 1 euro Italian house programs.
Normally if you elect to purchase a 1 Euro Italian house, you have to have a 5,000 Euro deposit. In addition if you do not complete the renovations within 3 years, you will be facing a fee of 20,000 Euros.
In Cinquefrondi, the 5,000 Euro deposit is waived but they ask you to purchase an insurance policy in the amount of 250 Euros per year until the works are complete.
The 20,000 Euro fee is in also effect in Cinquefrondi if the works are not completed in three years.
So it appears that the community has tried to sweeten the pot dramatically in order to bring people in.
Ancient house in Maratea Centro Storico
That said, is a 1 Euro Italian house for you?
In addition to the factors listed above, there are other factors you need to consider.
The houses available for 1 Euro in Cinquefrondi are very old and are located in the ancient part of the city. These ancient houses lean on each other. What happens to the structural integrity of the building as a whole? Can you fortify your house so that it doesn’t fall if the others never get renovated?
Does the housing market in Cinquefrondi support a renovation cost of 10-20K Euros that it will cost to renovate one of these places.
How can you protect yourself if the builders get backlogged and it takes longer than there years to renovate?
None of these questions are designed to put you off the 1 Euro houses but merely to have you take a look and see if this will work for you.
In any case I would definitely run everything by an attorney because he will know what questions to ask and what points to clarify in a contract. We highly recommend Nic Metta at Studio Legale Metta for this purpose.
This may be the deal of the century for you so check it out thoroughly!
Now I want to give a shout out to Dave and his Youtube channel Dauv0. Dave is in Mussomelli (Messina) Sicily and has his finger on the pulse of everything about 1 Euro houses all over Italy. We will be teaming up with Dave for some really fun and exciting projects so stay tuned to both of our channels. You are going to love it!
If you are looking for a 1 Euro Italian property. You need to watch our video on the subject. This will give you the truth abut 1 Euro Italian houses.
AND if you are looking at purchasing a property in Italy and/or moving there you MUST study our online video course and Ebook. It gives you EVERYTHING you need to know about purchasing a home and/or moving to Italy.
Wow! Pete and I just returned from an incredible cruise on Azamara to the Greek Islands, ending up in Venice.
I was unfamiliar with Venice, all of my knowledge being stories I have read and beautiful photos in travel magazines. Seeing Venice up close and personal was a gift that I hope you all receive. In short Venice is spectacular .
That said, Venice, being built on stilts in a swampy lagoon and being a spot that tourists are drawn to like Winnie the Pooh to honey pots, has her challenges. Pete and I very sneakily discovered some ways to get around them and to have a beautiful time in one of the world’s most beautiful cities.
Water taxis and water busses are the only way to get around.
Make sure your hotel is close to the water taxis
If you have never been to Venice, be aware that it is not a city for the severely mobility impaired. Venice is a series of islands close together with canals running betwixt and between them. They are held together by beautiful little bridges that connect each island to the ones next to it forming a an interconnected archipelago.
There are no cars in the center of Venice so no taxis to pick you up and drop you off at your hotel. The water buses are great but let me tell you that if you have walking, standing or balance issues they can be intimidating.
There are no cars in the old town, Venice
I have had three hip replacements so in big cities, I walk with a cane and have some balance issues. I had to use great care getting on and off these boats and sometimes the only way on and off was over a skinny plank.
In addition we had luggage. We pack pretty light but those who do not will have the massive task of heaving a huge suitcase onto and off of a water taxi then dragging all their luggage to whatever accommodations they are planning to use while there.
When you look at it, it can be a long walk to your hotel if it is far from the Grand Canal.
Tiny vias in Venice
While in Venice we stayed at the Hotel Lux. It is close to the water taxi stations, close to the Piazza San Marco and had some stellar restaurants nearby. Hotel Lux is a three star hotel. The room was small but it was inexpensive and clean and you get breakfast. We would definitely stay there again, especially since hotels in Venice can be extremely pricey.
While we were on board the Azamara ship, Pete had overheard an unfortunate young woman who had reservations at a hotel in Venice. Her mother was confined to a wheelchair and she had no idea how she was going to get her mom, their luggage and herself to her hotel and around Venice. I felt bad for her. It was a thorny problem.
Venice had cisterns to gather water and provide It to the residents
2. Buy quality luggage and pack as lightly as you can.
I have found recently that quality luggage is the difference between breezing through airports and over cobbled historical centers, and dragging, sweating and possibly even swearing (under your breath of course) trying to get your stuff from one location to the next.
Prior to leaving for this trip, I went and bought a rolly bag made by Swiss Gear. I paid more but after rolling all the bags around the store I decided it was worth is and it really was! This thing is a dream. I walk through the airport barely pushing it. It is light and easy to hoist onto trains. Even over cobble stones it was great.
Venetian Canal
3. Check to see what floor you will be staying on because there are very few lifts in Venice.
The only drawback to the Hotel Lux was that it was a tall and skinny hotel. We were on the “third” floor (really the fourth because that is how they are counted in Europe) and there was a stair case that you had to climb to get to reception. Happily we packed relatively light but we still had to schlepp all our bags up the stairs to our room and back down again when we left.
I had a conversation with the hotel manager and he advised me that the building codes are very strict in Venice to the point where inside or outside, you cannot move the ancient walls or take them down. This severely limits building owners and as there are few locations that can actually accommodate a lift, there are very few.
Rialto Bridge
4. Don’t spend all your time at the main attractions.
Sure St. Mark’s Square is stunningly beautiful and you should see it. Go at night, most of the tourists are gone and several restaurants feature beautiful orchestras playing classical music. Sitting at a table in a square surrounded by some of the most beautiful architecture ever created drinking a Prosecco while listening to Antonio Vivaldi, Venice’s favored son, is a treat you won’t want to miss.
St, Mark’s during the day is choked with people as is the Rialto Bridge. See these places after dark.
Venice at night
Meanwhile Pete and I spent a thoroughly enjoyable day running around Venice with our cameras looking for the prettiest corners, the most interesting reflections and watching the beautifully crafted gondolas glide soundlessly through the tiny waters with their passengers.
Venice is one of those rare cities that is beautiful through and through. Around every corner is another amazing sight. From the mask maker’s shops to the glass shops, there is so much to delight your eyes that is not shown in guide books.
Little Bridges
5. Understand that most of the bridges have stairs.
Again if you are in a wheelchair, you will not see a lot of Venice. Along the Grand Canal the city has provided ramps for those with mobility issues but that is the only place I saw them. The rest of the lanes are held together with little arched bridges with stairs.
Murano Glass Works
6. DO go see the glass works in Murano
While we were there Pete and I took a boat tour to Murano and Burano.
Murano is the island where Venetian glass is made. Since glassmaking is an inherently dangerous activity due to the high temperature fires needed to melt silica and make glass, all of the glassmaking has been restricted to the island of Murano.
Once we alighted on the island, we were treated to a short glass making demonstration during which we watched in fascination as a master glass craftsman took a bubble of glass and create a rearing horse in seconds.
After the demonstration we toured the showroom. We were not allowed to take photos and it is unfortunate because I cannot describe how beautiful these works were.
Check out this website however for some idea. The picture may or may not due them all justice. The works were nothing short of specatacular.
Pretty umbrellas in Burano
7. Take a guided tour
Our tour of Murano and Burano was with City Wonders. Our tour guide is a Venice resident and had an incredibly rich knowledge of the city’s history. She answered every question we threw at her including the significances of certain statues, what a normal Venetian would have for dinner and what products we should order this season in the restaurants. On top of that she was immensely entertaining and funny. Her name was Francesca A and we highly recommend her.
Seeing any city with a tour guide is the best way to go. The experience is so much richer when you know what you are looking at.
If you don’t want to do that check out some of the Great Courses. Either way your experience will be much richer when you know the stories behind the magnificent things you are seeing.
Venice is a city full of challenges but also full to the brim of wonder. She is a challenge to negotiate but when you do you will be treated to an experience like no other.
This beautiful little island built on a lagoon to thwart invaders ended up dominating all the cities in terms of trade and drew to herself, architectural and artistic elements from everywhere.
She is a sparkling jewel in a stunning Byzantine jewel box just waiting to be explored,
