Thinking of going to Italy?

A snowHead

DO NOT GO unless you are fully vaccinated!!! We are here in Cervinia with 3 teenagers who have only had one jab. Your fit to fly test QR code is not recognized by the Green Pass system. The phone line to the testing centre is out of order, and only operates Mon- Sat 8.30-12.30 anyway (ie if you arrive Sat pm you can’t ski Sunday). We queued at the ONE testing centre for one hour- 1 person only booking AND testing- only 4 people waiting ahead of us- gave up after an hour. You can’t go inside bars or restaurants without showing your Green pass (totally fine if you’re fully vaccinated). Thank goodness they don’t bother checking the green pass at the lifts (yet). It’s a flippin car crash. Would have expected better from the Italians

A snowHead

The fit to fly test QR code was never designed to be compatible with the Green Pass. You should be using the NHS one, which is compatible and will allow you to use the green pass to activate your lift passes.

I assume you and all adults over 18 are fully vaccinated, otherwise you should not have traveled?

There have been plenty of discussions regarding the problems with single vaxed teenagers, so I assume you have got all the necessary documentation to prove their current, single vaxed status, which you will need.

As regards the testing, it is a Bank Holiday in the UK. Maybe the same applies in Italy? Might be why the test centre only has 1 person on duty? Maybe you should have checked before you left the UK?

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Of course we did our research you condescending d***. We are fully vaccinated and have the green pass. Our 3 teenagers are allowed to travel with us fully vaccinated adults. The problem is, is that you cannot get an LFT over here for love nor money which is what the single jabbed teenagers need EVERY 48hours to get their green pass. We are here right now. I am trying to give constructive advice to parents thinking of bringing single jabbed teenagers so butt out Brian @brianatab, PS we only tried to use the fit to fly QR because we CANNOT get tests here. Obviously we know they’re not designed for the green pass

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@Brewskis!, where in Italy are you? It might be helpful to others to know where you're having these issues with testing.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

@Brewskis!, calm down. I think you may be letting your current situation get the better of your emotions. I don't think there was anything unreasonable in what @brianatab said.

And if you HAD done your research a little more thoroughly, you would have know that the fit to fly tests won't work for any of the covid passes anywhere in mainland Europe.

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Sorry it didn’t work out for your holiday @Brewskis!, I guess these things are just part and parcel of the Covid experience. What skiing etc did you manage to do?

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

OMG I know the fit to fly won’t work for the green pass and was never designed to be!!! We tried using it in desperation BECAUSE there aren’t any functioning test centres here in Cervinia. I was simply trying to warn other parents with teenagers that you can’t get them the green pass because you can’t get the testing done locally. Wish I hadn’t bothered trying to be helpful. Easier to do nothing and let other people come here and have a total nightmare. I thought snowheads was a forum to try and help out fellow skiers not a forum for condescending know it alls.

After all it is free

@Brewskis!, sorry its not working out for you. I think its clear now that you have explained. It was not clear in your opening post - in fact it seems very clear that you expected your for to fly test QR code to be recognised by the Green Pass system. If your OP had set out the real issue, and in full, then I am sure that others would not have responded the way they did.

Anyway, now you've explained I'm sure it will be helpful

I hope things improve there for you as the week goes on.

Were you under the impression there was a lot of testing capacity in cervinia?
It’s not something I’ve looked into yet but I may need to consider it in Aosta town where I’m hoping a good supply of pharmacies means less of an issue to an up the mountain resort.

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@Brewskis!, You're learning.

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

@Brewskis!, where we are in Italy, any pharmacy is testing. The unvaccinated Italians have to test every couple of days in order to be allowed to work! Big queues locally at our pharmacy in the mornings!

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@Brewskis!, have you tried the pharmacy in Cervinia ? i contacted them and they were very helpful and said they do LFT for 20euros and that if we pop on on our first day we can pre book for the rest of the week. although, due to the situation getting more complex we have now chosen not to travel.

@Brewskis!, +1. Anyone without teenagers right now seems to have had little idea of the cr@p they've had to deal with in general life, even before the additional hoops they and their parents have had to manage to go on the same holidays that parents (and far more covid susceptible grandparents) have been able to enjoy.
@ Brianatab's comment seems reasonable until the final sentence where I completely understand why you kicked off under the circumstances.

You know it makes sense.

@brianatab, it isn’t a bank holiday here in Italy today.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

Am I right in reading that from 10th Jan then super reinforced green pass required for ski lifts as well as outdoor dining.
So the 48 hour testing or basic green pass for teenagers will be no use?

A snowHead

A snowHead

I can imagine how stressful it can be.
As well as the local authority testing centre, there are two private ones in valtournenche
Pretty sure They are more expensive but maybe you could try them if u r still unsuccessful with the first one
Pharmacy cervinia 0166949059 via G. Rey 34
Dr Luca Varvello 016692094 via Roma 11
Good luck

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

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“The phone line to the testing centre is out of order, and only operates Mon- Sat 8.30-12.30 anyway (ie if you arrive Sat pm you can’t ski Sunday). We queued at the ONE testing centre for one hour…”

I think for anyone going to Cervinia shortly, this bit is worth knowing ^^ except it seems there may be more than one testing centre. Still a PITA if it’s hard to get tested on Sat pm, though. The rest of the issues have been widely discussed on the main threads.

And, of course, it all gets harder in a week’s time.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Why does it get harder?

Doesn’t the removal of the 48hr testing option just mean the only people that can go are those fully vaccinated with an nhs qr code to prove it?

Edit - so it’s either you can go and don’t have to faff with testing in resort or you can’t go as the testing option has been removed. Or have I misunderstood?

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@Brewskis!, for what it’s worth, I understood your first post completely. As @snowhound, says, anyone with teenagers will understand just how difficult it has been to organise skiing for them and being able to gauge how much testing is really available in resort is very difficult. Making the assumption that the resorts are geared up for testing is not unreasonable.

Thank you for letting others know and I hope that the rest of the week has good enough weather so that you won’t need indoor restaurants. Enjoy!

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

Thanks @Brewskis! We’ve been looking at Cervinia and have young teens, we’ll make sure their vaccinated before we travel, very helpful one of our teens isn’t due their second jab before we go but apparently there are drop ins here in Wales, but without reading your post we may have had real problems. I hope you managed to have a good trip overall despite everything x

After all it is free

It is a very frustrating time for teenagers and their parents. In my view the impact of this whole pandemic on the young has been underestimated and I feel from them.

That said the direction of travel has been clear for some time that vaccination will be required to access many leisure activities. It is not Italy's fault that the UK waited so long to start vaccinating teenagers, or that the UK has made it somewhat difficult to access proof of vaccination for teenagers.

It looks to me like the OP travelled with single vaccinated teenagers knowing they would have to be tested every 48 hours to get a green pass. He either did not, or could not, book the required tests in Cervinia before travelling. That was a risk, not one I would have taken but we all have different risk appetites. I do not think the lashing out at others was really justified here, and it was great to see such helpful advice offered especially about private testing options the OP did not seem aware of.

The lesson is, travel is a bit of a risk right now. It will probably remain so. Comprehensive research and contingency planning will help mitigate some of the risk. Just assuming that other countries will have made the preparations and arrangements necessary to ensure visitors from the UK can ski and eat out is probably not the best idea. I have seen quite a few people go off on ski holidays with no fall back plan if someones tests positive or rules change while they are away, which I think is frankly nuts especially if travelling with children.

Help!!

Thinking of going to Italy?

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