Costa to resume May 1, cruisers will be tested before and during cruise

The weeklong program includes Civitavecchia (Rome), Naples, Messina, Cagliari and La Spezia, and can be split into mini-cruises of three or four days.

Testing at embarkation and halfway through the cruise

Passengers will be tested for COVID-19 before embarking and halfway through the cruise. They'll also visit destinations on protected excursions and have mask protocols on board.

Four ships to sail this summer

A total of four Costa ships are planned to sail this summer on Mediterranean cruises.

On the days when Costa ships are not operating at Savona's Palacrociere terminal, managed by Costa Cruises, it will continue to be used by the local public health unit, ASL 2 Savona, for COVID-19 vaccine distribution in the area.

Economic impact

Costa President Mario Zanetti is expected to be on hand Saturday with local officials. The line noted cruising's restart will contribute to economic recovery.

Before the COVID-19 emergency, Costa generated an economic impact of €3.5bn per year and more than 17,000 direct and indirect jobs in Italy.