School is out and we were out of London in a heartbeat from an empty Stanstead airport. Rome in summer with only a few tourists is a beautiful place. We spent our days walking for miles, exploring the ruins and imagining how beautiful Rome must have been in all its glory, and finding plenty of delicious (gluten-free) pizza and pasta to eat! Mark was even able to sneak in 2 days of Pokemon Go Fest with his new Italian friends. 

 

Coming out of lockdown and Covid-19 cases decreasing throughout Europe, the world is attempting to return back to normal. Who would have thought a few months ago when we were stuck in our small apartment we would have been allowed to travel during a pandemic! Crazy, immature, stupid, selfish or go-getters? Everyone is entitled to their opinion. Here is what our few days in Rome looked like because of Coronavirus; Empty restaurants, or often less than a quarter of its capacity. Compulsory use of masks inside venues, shops, and on public transport. One way systems through all attractions. Temperature checks at all museums and attractions. Strict pre-booking to limit and monitor the numbers entering each attraction and because of this, no long lines waiting for entry. Hand sanitizer at every attraction and of course social distancing as best as possible everywhere we were.

 

Despite having to wear a mask in 30+ degree weather, I would still say I prefer Rome during the pandemic than to a normal summer season when the city is normally flooded with people and you’re shoulder to shoulder with people in places like the Vatican. The security guard at the Vatican informed us that over 40,000 people would normally go through the Vatican each day during high season, compared to now with the pandemic on average of less than 5,000 people visit Vatican City. Overall our first stop and impression of traveling this summer is super positive and we feel 100% safe with all the guidelines, rules, and behaviour that we have to adapt to whilst on the road.