They’ve been wanting to welcome us back, and now they can… bella bella et Wunderbar Italia und Deutschland.
Italy and Germany are heading up a tranche of countries green-listed for us to visit again.
That also includes two of my other go-to countries Austria and Switzerland.
Ciao now Bergamo
That Italy should be leading the way is reward for the efforts they have made in the last year and a half.
The good people of Bergamo have a claim to the title of huggiest people you’ll meet.
Having got into the Guinness Book of Records just five years ago.
When 11,460 Bergamaschi embraced each other, and that’s 5730 couples.
Huggy bears
All of which is revealed in the council offices, an antidote to the heavy subject of Covid, which I was there to discuss with the Tourism Minister.
And isn’t it refreshing to count in cuddles than casualties?
It is, of course, what we miss in these days of restricted engagement when we travel.
And so when I wanted to hug my host Matteo for his friendship after we said Ciao we knew we could only elbow.
Give us a cuddle
Which used to be what you did when you wanted to get rid of somebody.
Now the peoples of some countries seem to be able to get by without the need for physical contact.
My hugginess then is probably more my Irish than my Scottish half.
Sometimes a smile a clink of glasses and a Prost with your eyes fixed on each other.. a la Germany, the Austrians and the Swiss.
Caribbean dreams
But quite how my Bajan and Tobagonian pals will get by without enfolding each other in their arms…
I haven’t had the chance to see for myself.
For now I have my sights set again on Italia und Deutschland.
I’ll be back then as soon as I can to throw my arms around Bergamo.
