More than 260 Brazilians are trying to return from Italy. With flights canceled and no new dates scheduled, Brazilians in Italy are experiencing a real drama.
Many are in the country to resolve issues related to the Italian citizenship, but due to the coronavirus pandemic, they are worried about not being able to return to Brazil.
This is the case of Santina José Nunes, 59 years old. “I came with just enough money to stay for ten days and sort out issues regarding my Italian citizenship, but since my flight, which was scheduled for February 10th, was canceled, I no longer have anywhere to stay. I have no friends or relatives here,” says the resident of Criciúma (SC).
Santina was in Brescia, around 80 km from Milan, staying at the residence of an acquaintance. After canceling the air ticket, she had to leave the place.
“I’ve been crying for fifteen days”, adds the Brazilian, who is staying in Lodi, Lombardy, in the house of a Brazilian woman who offered to host her for a few days.
History repeats itself with Manuela Serafim and her husband Guilhermo Campos. The two traveled to Italy to also complete the citizenship process. “I have legal residence and all the necessary documents to receive Italian nationality. Unfortunately, however, the process was interrupted because of the epidemic.”
They say they ran out of money to pay the rent, to buy return tickets, and even to eat. "To avoid being evicted, we pooled our money with relatives in Brazil. We have a place to stay until April 18th," says the Brazilian woman who is in the city of Vale Corsa, near Rome.
As she has done for seven years, Fabiana de Souza arrived in Italy in January this year, in the middle of winter, to work for a few months during the snow season, in the Vale D'Aosta region. But the plan was frustrated with the arrival of the coronavirus epidemic
“From one day to the next I was without a job and without a place to stay, because I was working illegally”, he says in an interview with BBC News Brasil. Fabiana has already managed to return to Brazil.
Tourist Fred Carlos, whose flight was canceled three times, recounts an embarrassing experience. “I've been staying at an acquaintance's house (in Lomazzo, Lombardy) for almost four months. And I can't even leave the house for a bit to give them a break, because I don't have a justification to go out and be on the streets,” he said.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 260 non-resident Brazilians stranded in Italy asked for help.
In all cases, the consulate issued a statement asking Brazilian residents to "remain calm during this difficult time."
According to estimates by consular authorities in Italy, between 70 and 90 thousand Brazilians live in the northern region of Italy, the region most affected by the pandemic.
With information from Erika Zidko/BBC News Brasil
Read also Administrative or judicial: the legal paths to obtaining Italian citizenship
