‘La dolce vita,’ the sweet life is back

Italy has always been the country we think of first when Dottie and I consider travel to Europe. Getting here this time was a bit more complicated than before. Although each EU country has its own rules, most are similar to those set by the Italians.

First: it takes a bit more preparation. In addition to our passports, we needed our COVID-19 vaccination cards, plus proof of a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours of arrival (in Italy). Dottie and I used the Abbott BinaxNOW Covid-19AgCard version, which can be taken at home, verified online, and documented via the NAVICA app. We also needed to fill out a European Union Passenger Locator Form online.

Check-in and boarding the airline was a bit more time consuming. Everyone must wear a mask in the terminals and on the plane. Airports are busy, but not jammed. The airplanes are not quite full yet.

Going through Italian customs was a breeze. Customs officials seemed happy to see us. And, as the taxi brought us from the airport toward the historic center of Florence, we recognized the vibrant signs that the Italy we met and fell in love with nearly three decades ago is coming back to life. The streets, sidewalks, stores and cafes were bustling.

Our vacation rental apartment, located on the west side of the Arno River next to the Ponte Santa Trinita, one bridge upstream from Ponte Vecchio, is in a neighborhood bursting with activity. One floor below us at street level is a tiny, momma-and-poppa fruit market, a very busy sandwich shop and deli, and a popular restaurant. Across the street is a pharmacy, another espresso bar/sandwich shop, and a high school. Opposite the school is a copy store and a gelateria (ice cream shop). All of these are tightly squeezed into stone buildings constructed before Columbus discovered America.

Most occupants, proprietors, customers and other people strolling the sidewalks are Italian. Some Americans and visitors from other countries are here, but it seems to be the Italians themselves who are bringing their country back to life.

COVID-19 hit them hard last year. Italy had the oldest population in Europe with one of the highest life expectancies worldwide until the pandemic struck, taking a huge toll on those over 65. The country virtually shut down. In cities like Florence, narrow streets and sidewalks, tiny cafes and shops made safe distancing impossible. It all had to close. People stayed home, waiting it out, making do as best they could, and grieved at the loss of so many of their loved ones, friends and neighbors.

But those terrible dark days appear to be behind them, perhaps due to their wonderfully positive attitude that embraces life with so much passion, combined with wisdom and discipline.

Their approach is pretty simple and straightforward. You can’t enter any inside space without wearing a mask. You cannot enter a restaurant without showing proof of vaccination. To enter a theater, ride any plane, train or bus you must wear your mask and also show your vaccination card. For Italians, and probably most Europeans, this has become part of the new normal, a rational accommodation to protect themselves and everyone around them.

As a result, life, la dolce vita, is coming back, perhaps with even greater appreciation because of what was overcome.

We see it everywhere: Workers and visitors share inside counters and sidewalk tables for traditional midmorning coffee breaks. Retail stores are busy. Lines form midday at favorite panini (sandwich) shops. And at night most popular restaurants are packed inside and out with diners.

Local residents have offered me estimates ranging from 60% to 80% of where things are compared to the darkest days of 2020. And they’re optimistic about it getting better.

When Dottie and I planned this trip months ago, we were hopeful, but not certain, that it could happen. In that planning I stumbled on an announcement that the Florence Opera House might reopen during our stay. Opera is not my favorite type of music and I know little about it, but more than the food, art and history, it seems the truest representation of the indomitable spirit of this country.

So, week after week I checked the opera house web site. One day, there was an announcement that Verdi’s “La Traviata” would be playing. The conductor would be Zubin Mehta, and Placido Domingo would play one of the lead characters, Giorgio.

Still not sure if we could get to Italy, let alone make it to an opera, but ever hopeful, I kept looking for an opportunity to order tickets.

Somehow things worked out, and Dottie and I and our Sonoma friends, Chad Overway and Jeanne Montague, found ourselves seated with hundreds of Italian opera fans, mostly citizens of Firenze, when Maestro Mehta raised his baton and filled the evening with Verdi’s music and the beautiful voices of an amazing cast, including beautiful and talented American soprano Nadine Sierra, who, as Violetta, was the star of the show.

That night in Florence, all spirits, those of sophisticated opera fans and novices alike, were carried aloft with a feeling that we have come out of the darkness. There was obvious joy in the voices and faces of the artists. They were back on stage at last and shared their joy to the very last note.

And when it ended, we stood and applauded and would not stop. The artists bowed again and again, and we kept applauding. We would not let them leave.

In that moment, audience and artists alike realized how wonderful it feels to be alive the way we once were. Tears marked our faces and those of cast members, and we kept on applauding.

Perhaps for the first time in nearly two years, the sweet life has returned to Italy.