Hugs and tears as family reunites at airport after months separated

Italian Sandro Manzato had not seen his Colombian wife or three-year-old daughter for four months.

Finally on Wednesday (June 3), as Italy eased more of its strict lockdown restrictions, the seemingly neverending wait to be reunited was over.

He stood patiently holding little Yarline's favorite Minnie Mouse cuddly toy outside the exit of Rome's Fiumicino airport, while other emotional families reunited after months apart, until finally his wife and daughter walked through the exit doors.

With tears in his eyes the moment he saw them, Manzato cradled Yarline in arms and hugged her tightly, while his wife Rubiela Perea joined in on the family hug they had been longing for for months.

Perea and Yarline were in Bogota, Colombia when the outbreak of the new coronavirus took off in Italy. They left on February 2, and had since been stuck in Colombia unable to return home.

The Manzato family live in the northeastern Veneto region, and from Wednesday Italians were allowed to travel to other regions of the country for the first time since March.

Manzato left his home early in the morning to get to Rome on time to pick up his family. Borders reopened to European countries on Wednesday, a but a special direct flight for Italians stuck in Colombia was also allowed to land.

So happy to see his wife and daughter, Manzato continued to weep as they made their way home, not letting young Yarline leave his arms.