When Whanganui couple Andrew and Therese Zimmerman began to plan an Italian getaway over a year ago, the last thing they were expecting was to be thrown into a virus outbreak that has forced large
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"We've been making a bit of a game of it since then, like we're contestants in the Amazing Race.
"We seem to be the team in last place at the moment."
With all airports now in lock-down, the Zimmermans managed to catch a train from Florence to Turin, with a connecting journey to Paris scheduled on Friday.
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Despite the severity of the situation, Zimmerman said that the people of Florence had remained calm in the face of the outbreak.
"Everyone seemed to be a bit annoyed and sombre, but there certainly wasn't any widespread panic."
One unexpected bonus of the situation was having free reign over many of the attractions that Florence has to offer.
Therese Zimmerman's favourite painting, "The Birth of Venus" by Sandro Botticelli, is usually swarming with tourists, but she was able to study it, alone, for 15 minutes at the Uffizi Gallery.
Police have been quick to enforce a metre gap between members of the public in the Florence city centre, especially in restaurants and shops.
"Therese was a big fan of this," Zimmerman said.
"I think she'd prefer it if I stayed at least a metre away from her all the time."
Zimmerman said Italian supermarkets are still fully stocked with toilet paper, the exact opposite of the buying frenzy in New Zealand.
"I'm happy to report that there's plenty of toilet paper available over here.
"If anyone wants to place an order, just get in touch and I'll see what I can do."
With a new travel plan in place, the couple hope to get back to Whanganui on schedule.