These past few months have been hard for everybody but for some people it was very tough, like for the families that have been separated due to the lockdown restrictions. An Australian family living in Trieste was unexpectedly separated when Lisa Sgubin, a mom of two, left for Australia to visit her elderly dad in February, 2020 and could not return ever since.
We interviewed Lisa’s husband Lucio who lives in Trieste with their two kids, Zoe (12) and Daniel (16).
How long have you lived in Italy for?
Lucio Sgubin: We moved to Trieste as a family in Sep 2018. We have 2 children aged 16 and 12. My 16 year old son plays with Triestina Victory. His dream was to play football here in Italy and it came true.
Where are you originally from?
Lucio: I was born here in 1965. My father was from Trieste, and my mother was from Umag. My parents gave up their Italian citizenship before I was born, therefore I am Australian.We came to Trieste with the intention of hopefully gaining Italian citizenship for myself and then passing it onto my children.
Has it been challenging?
Lucio: The Italian law states that I must reside here for 3 years before I can apply for the Italian citizenship. This is another story in itself because it’s not as simple as that. We are here on an elective visa which does not allow us to work. To apply for citizenship I need to show Italian income for the 3 years of residency. Foreign income is not acceptable, so it’s a catch 22 situation. But that is a whole other story.
What’s your lockdown story?
Lucio: My wife went home in February to visit her father. She was due to return on the 16th of March. As you know, everything – borders, trains, planes – were all shut down about 3 days before she was due to fly back to Trieste. We tried to change flights 3 times all to no avail. Every time we found a way home – flights were cancelled. On the last attempt, she flew from Sydney to Brisbane. About 2 hours before her flight from Brisbane to Tokyo (en route to Venice), she was told the Japanese government changed the rules and would not allow in transit movements between the two Japanese airports, so they would not allow her to board the flight to Japan.
How are you guys dealing with this situation?
Lucio: We keep in touch through WhatsApp and Messenger. And we keep thinking how to get her back to us. Qatar airlines are still flying but only to Rome and that is pointless as the regional borders are closed and she would have to quarantine in Rome and stay there until regional borders re-open. My understanding is that even if we could get her to Venice from Rome, she would still have to quarantine in Venice at the moment, due to the restriction of movement between regions. So it’s pointless trying to get her back here at the moment.
When do you think you’ll see each other again?
Lucio: I have absolutely no idea when she will be able to fly back. Too many factors, both here and abroad. The only thing I know for sure is that all of us miss Lisa dearly and can’t wait to have her back home in Trieste.
By In Trieste
