The village of Barolo, our home during our stay in Italy
I grew up learning about some of the most difficult times in Europe by reading The Diary of Anne Frank and watching The Sound of Music – you know…. the part where the Von Trapp family escaped from Austria through a mountain pass to Switzerland? I also have a good friend who was a child in Piedmont during WWII when the area was occupied by German soldiers. He has shared many stories with me about what it was like to be so limited as a kid, and totally restricted (often by gunpoint) to a certain area for a very long period of time.
Mont Viso dominates the Piemonte horizon on clear days
We have been in Barolo, Italy, very close to the area where my friend grew up under such constraints. We experienced the effects of the Italian government trying to contain a different kind of enemy, a viral opponent that is presenting a new kind of conflict.
The current situation in Italy is not like it was in the early 1940’s. It’s bad, but it’s not anywhere close to being that bad. It does, however, give me a new appreciation for the freedom of movement we have enjoyed for so long.
We were in the Cuneo Province in Northern Italy. On Sunday, the Italian Government, in an attempt to slow down the spread of the Coronavirus, placed a quarantine on 16 million people. We were not among them at that point, but those in the neighboring province and beyond were told not to leave the area. Then, on Monday night as we were preparing to sleep, we looked at our phones one more time to see the news — and learned that all of Italy was on lockdown.
Our train from Alba to Turin
On Sunday, those in Lombardy and 14 other central and northern provinces needed special permission if they wanted to travel. Now, all of Italy is affected by this quarantine. Restaurants are only supposed to be open from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm and guests are to maintain a 1 meter distance between one another at all times. The Prime Minister has announced the closure of museums, nightclubs, schools, gyms and other venues across the whole country. These measures will last (at least) until April 3. The government is being very proactive in doing what they can to contain the virus. They are looking to see what was done in China and learning what has been successful. Hopefully the spread of the virus will slow down because of the measures taken by the government.
On Sunday, we were still not under quarantine in Barolo, but things in Cuneo were still being affected dramatically. Stores and businesses were closing to try to prevent the spread of the disease. Events had been cancelled or postponed. Police were sometimes called to make sure not too many people gathered in one place at one time. And in a country known for being demonstrative in their affection, greetings were sometimes altered to bumping elbows or hips instead of kisses on each cheek. A cultural norm had changed overnight for some.
Because cinemas were closed and typical events were not able to materialize, people were doing other things that didn’t require getting together with a lot of other people. On Sunday, we went on a fantastic hike in the Alta Langhe with our friends. It was absolutely wonderful to be out in nature, enjoying the vines and the trees and the landscape. We saw lots of other people hiking and biking – apparently more than are usually on these particular trails. Other people had the same idea, and for good reason! We had a great day and we weren’t spreading the virus – both very good things.
Schools and universities in Italy are closed until after Easter. Children are staying home, close to their families. It presents a problem if parents are still able to work outside the home. Finding childcare isn’t easy. But many people are working from home and grandparents are helping out. We’ve seen kids in the vineyards with a parent, playing while their parents tend to the vines. To a degree, it’s nice that families have more time to be together. It’s a nice example of making lemonade out of the lemons presented by this awful virus.
But it is really, really a strange feeling to be restricted in this way. Having grown up in the Land of the Free, I am used to having the ability to go where I want, when I want. With the likely continued spread of this virus, that movement may very well be restricted in the future, not in the same ways that they were in WWII, thankfully, but limited and controlled nonetheless. I hope we are able to make it home Ok, when the time comes. The virus is spreading around Europe and we don’t know what other governments will do to try to protect their people.
When challenges arise, there is something comforting about being on your own turf. There are times when I would like to be surrounded by my family and those I love, and even sleep in my own bed. This vagabond lifestyle makes that all a bit more difficult.
But I want to say how truly lucky we feel to be where we are at his pivotal point in time. I may run out of medication before I get home, we may have to be quarantined because of our travel choices, we definitely feel unsettled in this situation that changes daily, and sometimes hourly. But we are so, so fortunate.
Our good friends Franco and Daniela took good care of us
We have friends who are generous beyond what I can even describe. They have opened their home and their lives to us as well as their language, their culture, and their friends. We are experiencing Italy in a profound and meaningful way. To be here during this time of crisis – and to see how people react to it and pull together and make something important and powerful so they can take care of each other, is a privilege I never imagined when we set out on this vagabond lifestyle. I would feel so awful if we were to get them sick – or to get their parents sick. But they very matter-of-factly seem to reach out their hands and their hearts and accept us here without question. We came to exchange language and friendship. We will leave having exchanged much more. To say we are thankful is an understatement.
When we learned that the government decided to place the entire country on lockdown, we decided that we would try to leave. We weren’t worried about getting sick and we were not concerned about a change in lifestyle caused by the quarantine. We were concerned about meeting obligations we have in Switzerland in April and in France in May. We were afraid that we would not be able to leave the country at all if we stayed any longer, so we are now in France with a friend of a friend, helping with his organic farm. It is an absolutely lovely setting and we are fortunate to be here.
I have come to really love this little travel company we have created. Euro Travel Coach was experiencing a great increase in business since before Christmas and until the Coronavirus started to make its mark on Europe. We love helping people travel to Europe. It is our joy and our passion.
That uptick in business has changed within the last month. Our service has also changed its tack. We are now trying to help people understand the facts of what is going on, preserve their vacation investment, and make good decisions on when it will be best to travel to this amazing continent. Overall, we are recommending a wait and see approach. This situation is likely to get worse before it gets better, but the fact is that no one really knows how this will play out. I have to trust that over time, things will improve. It will take more time than we want it to, but eventually, we will be able to focus again on traveling easily and freely here, and helping others to do the same.
We always look forward to our next visit to Piemonte
In the meantime, do reach out to us if you have questions, would like European travel advice, or want to plan your trip to Europe when the effects of this virus have dissipated. We’ll be here to help and we’ll do all we can to make your trip absolutely amazing.
The Italians are fighting this new war with a virus courageously and we must all do the same.
Remember that we are always available to you and your friends and family for custom trip planning to Italy, France, Ireland, the UK and all of Europe. We are experts in creating custom travel itineraries and leading small group trips to European destinations. We also book European cruises! Feel free to reach out via email — We’re always available to talk about travel!
Betsy Ball – Betsy is co-founder and partner of Euro Travel Coach (ETC), which crafts custom European vacations for independent travelers and leads small group trips to Europe. She is a passionate and culturally curious traveler who thoroughly enjoys sharing her love for exploring Europe with ETC clients. Prior to founding ETC, Betsy taught International Business at Tarleton State University in Texas (part of the A & M System) where she led study abroad trips to multiple European countries and other worldwide destinations. She retired from teaching in 2017 and since then, Betsy and her husband, Co-founder and Partner, Greg, have been traveling through Europe multiple times per year for as many as 9 months at a time. She has a degree in hotel, restaurant management from Michigan State University and an MBA from Southern Methodist University in Dallas. She also holds a Level 3 certification from the Wine & Spirits Education Trust.
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