To Italy: the first flight: Marija Palaikytė spoke about the radical change in the country and the price changes | Names

Marija Palaikytė last visited Italy 4 months ago and was already longing for the Italian temperament and rhythm of their lives. Therefore, as soon as the quarantine ended, when the airlines announced their first flights, she bought a plane ticket to Milan without expecting anything. But there was no certainty that the girl would fly until the last moment.

“My flight was in the morning, but at night it was still unclear if the plane would actually take off. I called the Vilnius airport and asked for information, but received very little, perhaps because it was my first flight to Italy, “said Maria of the uncertain start of the trip.

However, the trip went smoothly, Mary only had to take care of her own health insurance. He said there were several people on the flight, but airport staff made sure to comply with the distance, all mandatory security rules.

“The experience is very impressive just for the trip itself. Empty airports, control, distances. Such stagnant time. It is very gratifying that the people in the airports are very responsible, I realized that awareness has arisen, “said Maria later the positive aspects of the trip.

She admitted that she couldn’t imagine her life now without Italy, the people and culture of this country, she wanted to dive into her usual work rhythm again, so she was not afraid to fly. He assessed the situation before the trip and would have made the decision not to travel alone if it had not been safe.

The final destination of Mary’s trip was Florence, where the girl graduated with a master’s degree in anticipation of fashion trends a few years ago. Arriving in the capital of the Tuscan region, the fashion trend analyst said she noticed incredibly disciplined Italians. She admitted she couldn’t believe it for a while.

“It seemed that no one would take close contact with the Italians: hugs, kisses, but on the beach, absolutely everyone walked in masks, kept their distance. I feel completely safe because the Italians follow the rules a lot. The country wants to recover faster, for which is very busy, “said Marija.

True, he noted that the rules for Italians don’t apply everywhere after all. Some regions of Italy, he said, have been less affected by the pandemic, so the quarantine has already decreased considerably.

“Different regions of Italy have different rules. In some places quarantine has been released, in some places it is necessary to wear masks, in some places night clubs are already operating,” said M. Palaikytė.

When he arrived in Italy, he also drew attention to the fact that the country, which constantly attracts millions of tourists, belongs only to Italians. Here he rarely notices that foreigners take pictures of buildings or sculptures and miles of queues near museums. So now is the best time to see the true beauty of Italy.

“For example, Florence generally receives up to 21 million a year. Tourists, and now they are completely absent. This is a unique opportunity to visit Italy because the whole city is empty, the museums are empty. All the beauty of Italy is revealed in colors completely different. It is possible to see it without an exhausting number of tourists, “Maria said of the changes after the quarantine.

The girl noted that the decrease in the number of tourists forced to shorten the opening hours of museums, but only in some regions. In Venice, for example, life is exactly the same as it was before quarantine.

“I cannot comment on the situation in all Italian cities, but in Florence you can see that people are calm and don’t care about anything.” It is very important that the economy recovers, “said María.

Now the Italians, who have worked in the tourism sector, are really concerned about the decrease in income, but they are also trying to see the positive aspects of this situation. For example, admire the empty streets and the calmer pace of life.

“The residents themselves are happy because they say they have not seen such a beautiful Florence. There are no queues, the city is completely different, but everyone understands that it will not last long. The forecasts are that people will return to normal in August and September, “said Marija.

When asked if the prices of services and goods had changed significantly after the quarantine, M. Palaikytė said that they had not actually increased. Most hotels are still closed, and those that have already opened are trying to attract visitors, sometimes doing small promotions.

“I don’t notice a big drop in prices, but there is no price increase. There is only more joy in people who have arrived,” said the fashion analyst who flew to Italy.

The situation in the city parks is a little different, the young people are already gathering here. Older adults keep a little more separate, noting that the people around them try to get away a little more, this pandemic is, of course, much more sensitive.

Contrary to, for example, in Lithuania, Italians still cannot choose indoors: “Italians have a ritual: drink coffee while standing at the bar. In the past, many people used to pass by, but now it is no longer possible. There are things that disrupt the normal Italian rhythm, but open-air cafes, for example, already have permission to expand. Of course, we still go to supermarkets wearing masks. “

The worst pandemic, according to Mary, crossed northern Italy. Here, people are more surprised not only by the economy, but also by the losses that have ruined their good reputations.

“Although many countries have been affected, Italy has been very noisy around the world and Italians are suffering greatly as a result.” Has life stopped? Of course, no. No one will really take away the joy of life, but the shock is very great, “opened M. Palaikytė.

However, the Italians, who are not losing optimism, are not talking about the second wave of coronaviruses, their goal is to get out of this situation and fully recover.

“And for now, Italy belongs to the Italians,” laughed Mary.

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