As most probably already know by now, the ashes of the Eyjafjallajokull, an Iceland volcano, continue to spread forming an ash cloud over Europe. This in turn has caused closure of important European airports in London, Frankfurt, Paris and Amsterdam and cancellation of flights across the rest of Europe.
This, of course, has a direct impact on the travel plans of all those visiting the Old Continent at the moment. Apart from the mayhem of being caught at airports or between hotels and airport, the concern is being raised over the quality of the air we breathe in. So far, the WHO has issued an advisory saying that as long as the ash remains in the upper atmosphere, there is not likely to be increased health risk.
Experts said most people had no reason to be alarmed. While people with asthma or lung disease could stay indoors to avoid irritation, there is little real danger, especially with the ash falling so far from the source.
Air quality so far has not been affected in Italy but that might change depending on whether the volcano keeps up its activity, on the direction of the winds and temperature.
The ash cloud has not reached Tuscany so far, although predictions say it could arrive by the end of today but in a very diluted form. The most updated news source is La Repubblica (use Google translator to get an idea of what is being said). For now, our plans of hiking this week are still on, we’ll see how things progress and let you know.
About Lourdes Flores
An American living in Florence for over 10 years, Lourdes continues to explore and discover new places in Tuscany with the eyes of a tourist but with the experience of living in Italy. She shares her experiences on this blog and website, particularly offering lots of travel planning help on the Forum!
