SAVONA, Italy — Italian cruise line Costa Cruises set sail on Saturday for the first time in more than four months, buoying an industry capsized by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The flagship Costa Smeralda left the northwestern port of Savona at 6.15 pm (1615 GMT) after being landbound since December 20, when the Italian government banned cruises during the holiday season due to the coronavirus crisis.
An enthused Roberta Cappelletti, a 60-year-old singer, came all the way from northeastern Predappio to take the cruise.
“It is a great emotion, I am moved to tears being able to cruise again — it’s like a renaissance for me,” she said before taking her coronavirus test so she coul…
Keep on reading: Costa Cruises sets sail again after four-month COVID-19 break