Ciao everyone. Welcome to the Untold Italy podcast and an episode I never thought I would record. It's Katie here and just weeks ago, Josie and I sat down to chat and record several episodes

for you to help you plan your trips to Italy. We were so excited and happy to be sharing all

our knowledge about travel in Italy with you, and I was just about to depart Australia for a month

long trip to Sicily, Amelia Romagna and Pulia, among other places in Italy.

But here we are with an episode that I decided to record at the last minute to update you on the situation in Italy with the coronavirus emergency

and share some thoughts about what you can do about your upcoming trips.

I'm here to share my upset at the crisis unfolding in Italy

and commiserate with those of you who

have had to cancel or may need to cancel, dream trips, honeymoons, anniversary and birthday celebrations

and even weddings. It's a truly awful situation that no one anticipated even three weeks ago

and it's impacting people all around the world through no fault of their own.

I've had to record this episode a few times as I'm getting quite emotional about the situation

in Italy, so please bear with me. Today, Italy is in national lockdown implemented by the

government to help stop the threat of the coronavirus, which has hospitalised thousands and

caused deaths of hundreds of people. Schools and universities are closed. People are restricted

to movement in their neighbourhoods unless they have clearance to travel for work or family

emergency reasons. Cafes and restaurants are also closed. Everyone is being urged to stay at home.

These actions are unprecedented in peacetime

Italy and certainly have not been seen for over 70 years. From a travel perspective, flights

into and out of Italy are being cancelled and borders are closing. Museums and attractions are

shut. Hotels are empty and tours are not running.

At this stage, the lockdown is in place until April 3rd.

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