Many coronavirus rules within Italy were relaxed from Monday April 26th under the government’s new emergency decree.

Restaurants, bars, hotels, theatres and museums are gearing up for their first busy weekend after months of tough restrictions, including over Easter and Christmas.

“The weekend of May 1st will be the first real test, not only to verify the falling trend of the contagion curve, but also for the revival of tourism, one of the sectors worst hit by anti-Covid measures”, writes the Ansa news agency.

Some 47 million people living in Italy’s ‘yellow zone’ regions are now free to travel around most of the country.

While five of Italy’s 20 regions remain under enhanced ‘red’ or ‘orange’ zone Covid restrictions, people are still allowed to enter and leave these areas, including for tourism, using a new immunity pass.

The scheme allows non-essential travel for anyone who can prove they have been fully vaccinated, have recently recovered from Covid, or have been tested within the previous 48 hours.

Ansa reported long queues outside test centres on Friday morning as people waited to get the all-clear and obtain the travel certificate.

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Hotels and other types of tourist accommodation reported a boom in bookings recently from domestic holidaymakers keen to get away as restrictions ease.

City centres and nightlife areas have reportedly been busy since rules were relaxed on Monday – despite the 10pm curfew remaining in place nationwide.

Museums are also open again in yellow zones, with many major cities allowing their biggest attractions to reopen to visitors from this weekend – though advance ticket reservations are needed. 

Theatres and cinemas are also allowed to reopen with restrictions in place.

Many rules, including those on social distancing and mandatory mask-wearing in public, remain in place.

MAP: Which zone is your region in under Italy’s coronavirus restrictions?

Police are expected to step up patrols and checks in cities over the weekend, Ansa reports.

Italy’s health ministry on Friday confirmed that six regions will remain under tighter restrictions from Monday.

The regions of Puglia, Basilicata, Sicily and Calabria will remain orange zones for at least one more week.

Valle d’Aosta turns red from Monday, while  Sardinia will go from red to the less-restrictive orange zone.