Andrew Zimmerman is making the best of a scary situation while on holiday in Italy. Photo / Supplied
Andrew Zimmerman is making the best of a scary situation while on holiday in Italy. Photo / Supplied
When Whanganui couple Andrew and Therese Zimmerman began to plan an Italian getaway over a year ago, the last thing they were expecting was to be thrown into a virus outbreak that has forced large parts of the country into lockdown.
Before they departed for their journey a fortnight ago,Milan was believed to be the only Italian city under threat, but things soon changed as soon as they arrived in Florence.
"We knew that there were problems in Milan, so we diverted from Doha to Amsterdam." Andrew Zimmerman said.
"From there we got the all clear to fly to Florence, then over-night everything turned to custard."
Zimmerman, a GP at the Aramoho Health Centre, said the couple had initially planned to fly from Florence to Paris, hoping to spend the remaining two weeks of their holiday there, but the flight was cancelled just as they prepared to board.
"We've been making a bit of a game of it since then, like we're contestants in the Amazing Race.
"We seem to be the team in last place at the moment."
With all airports now in lock-down, the Zimmermans managed to catch a train from Florence to Turin, with a connecting journey to Paris scheduled on Friday.
Despite the severity of the situation, Zimmerman said that the people of Florence had remained calm in the face of the outbreak.
"Everyone seemed to be a bit annoyed and sombre, but there certainly wasn't any widespread panic."
One unexpected bonus of the situation was having free reign over many of the attractions that Florence has to offer.
Therese Zimmerman's favourite painting, "The Birth of Venus" by Sandro Botticelli, is usually swarming with tourists, but she was able to study it, alone, for 15 minutes at the Uffizi Gallery.
Police have been quick to enforce a metre gap between members of the public in the Florence city centre, especially in restaurants and shops.
"Therese was a big fan of this," Zimmerman said.
What you need to know
"I think she'd prefer it if I stayed at least a metre away from her all the time."
