Coronavirus Lockdown – Italy

I’m currently sitting here writing this blog post from my kitchen table in Umbria. While I often move up here for weeks at a time, it’s different this time around. On Monday March 9 (was it only 6 days ago?!) the president of Italy declared a national lockdown to stop the Coronavirus.

Although it’s a long and complicated decree, it basically means that until  April 3 everyone must stay in their homes as much as possible. (there’s even a hashtag for it: #iorestoacasa ‘i stay home’ ) We all must not travel between regions unless there is a urgent need (like work or health).  Domenico, Sophie and I  are currently at our home in Umbria, and are lucky that we were can stay here to ride it out.

Although we were all sort of expecting something, this still came as a shock. It also took us, and a lot of people, a day or so to not only understand the rules and regulations, but also the motives behind this seemingly drastic, but necessary move.

Since the regulations keep changing this blog post may be a bit outdated by the time you read it. But for now almost everything in Italy is shut down: schools , museums, public buildings, offices, etc. They’ve even closed the bars and restaurants. We are all expecting other restrictions to be declared but not sure what. 

But there is no panic regarding basic services. Food stores are all open and well stocked. (this is Italy remember!) Pharmacies, banks and post offices remain open. Other non-essential stores and services (like hairdressers and – oh god!- nail salons) are closed for the duration. (By the way, there has been no run on toilet paper here. What is that about?)

This is a very big deal and everyone is taking it VERY seriously. Although there are fines, including jail time in some instances, I feel as if they are not needed. Everyone is following every rule and no one is complaining. Basically this means do not leave your house unless absolutely necessary. For instance even though we are allowed to go to town to the supermarket (and that certainly would be a much needed distraction!) we are limiting our visits to only once a week, and then only one of us goes. And even though I’d like to walk down the road to visit with my neighbours, I am absolutely not doing that. We are staying far away from others, and that’s that.

Financially of course, Italy is a disaster. The tourism sector is pretty much  destroyed. 

Yet somehow even through this suffering we realise that for our own sakes, as well as for that of the world, this was necessary. And the country has very much come together on this.  If you’ve been following anything at all I’m sure that by now you’ve seen the moving videos (I’m not crying, you’re crying) of Italians leaning out their windows and standing on their balconies every evening at 6pm, to sing and dance together. And yesterday, at noon, in what was one of the most moving things I’ve ever seen, the entire country leaned out of their windows and gave a round of applause to all the tireless medical workers who are risking their lives to see us through this crisis. 

Since most of you reading this are located in the USA you may be looking to us as you prepare to hunker down. I have been chatting with friends in the States non-stop and even most of my friends who know what is going on in the world are still in denial that this type of forced lockdown could happen there. My advice to you is that we too didn’t think it could happen here until it did. So be prepared. This post is brilliant to explain how our thinking changed, and how yours probably will too. It’s easy to this won’t effect you personally. Or that it is somehow not serious.  Please be responsible . 

I do believe that our current sacrifices will help to stop the spread. 

In the meantime we are lucky to be here in Umbria. Our days are somehow incredibly busy. (keeping the house clean takes up a LOT of time!) I’m also still running my business from my kitchen table. While the spring season is basically shot, I’m forging ahead to the fall and am going to be adding tours to make up for lost income this season.

While it’s easy during this kind of situation to kind of let go, I’ve been making an effort to keep our life on track. I get dressed in the mornings and go to my ‘office.’ All three of us meet for a coffee in the kitchen at 10:30. We even stand at the counter and pretend it’s the local bar.  I make sure we all get a long walk outside each day. And of course Sophie and I are making sure our pantry is stocked and are planning delicious meals. Even Domenico is talking about baking bread! 

It goes without saying that cocktails every night are a big part of our routine because the one thing everyone can agree upon is that alcohol is a great disinfectant. 

One thing that I’ve decided to do, which may seem silly, is to use a different set of dishes at each meal. You know I’ve got a thing for Italian ceramics, but somehow setting the table differently each night makes things better. Candles, flowers…the whole thing. If we can’t go out to dinner (all restaurants and bars are closed) then at least I can make our meals at home as special as possible. Sophie is busy making a meal plan for next week, so we keep things interesting and don’t fall into a rut. I’ll be posting my menus later this week, in case anyone is looking for inspiration.

While this all looks and sounds rosy, of course there is the flip side to life on lockdown.  No one enjoys having their freedom of movement taken away. And as I mentioned above the financial situation is devastating. Not just in the tourism industry, but across the board. Many of you have asked how you can help out a country that you all love. Here are some concrete ways to lend a hand:

Tourism: If you have booked a tour or other services as part of a trip that you can’t take due to travel restrictions please be aware of the strains this is putting on the tourism industry here in Italy. While big airlines and hotel chains have built in mechanisms to cope with this, smaller tour operators and family run hotels do not. Accepting a partial refund and/or a chance to rebook will help these businesses to survive to the next season. Even though I have lost an enormous amount of income, I am trying my very best to support those who depend on me and my business. As you know, I am a huge supporter of small businesses throughout Italy: the corner trattoria where we have meals; the families that rent out their apartments to us,  the artisans who make our plates; the nonna making pasta in Umbria ; the guide who takes us around his hometown. All of these businesses have been shattered overnight. I am happy that at least I can pay them part of the amount I would have owed them, since my clients’ original deposit covers that. It is not much, but means the world to them since they too, have lost their livelihood. 

And if you are thinking of booking a tour for the future, do it now. Please. I have been thrilled to receive bookings for fall of 2020 and into  2021, not just because the thought of leading tours in the future brings hope, but because the deposits paid now help me, and all the people I employ, go forward. 

The same goes for any events you may have booked. Rather than ask for a refund for museum tickets you bought ages ago, just consider the price a donation to the arts.

Artisans: Italy’s artisans are among the most vulnerable economically. They barely make a living as it is. This period may push some over the edge completely. If you already know of some then shop away!

Here are some of my favourite ceramic producers in Italy where you can finally order that set of dishes you had your eye on:

Sberna
Fima
Sbigoli

Italian Food and Wine Producers: This is  the easiest and most delicious way to support the Italian economy! You can order Italian food (including olive oil) from these importers 

And if you can’t make it to Italy for now, you can still read about it, right?

Sophie’s new book The Sweet Art of Doing Nothing will certainly help you get through this period! Pre-order here.

My books The Italian Table, Eating My Way Through Italy and Eating Rome will bring you back to Italy virtually.

To get a glimpse of what life is like under lockdown, see this post by my friend and colleague Amanda Ruggieri.

Amanda, who has a site called Revealed Rome,  also did an exhaustive round up of other great ways to help, which she continues to update. Please visit, read and act on this post. There are LOTS of links that I have a feeling you’ll have plenty of time to read in the next few weeks.

Finally here are some great websites from friends  and colleagues, with lots of information about what is going on, but also ways you can help.

Gillians List
Girl in Florence
Romewise
An American in Rome

If you’re curious about how we are filling our days here during lockdown make sure you’re following me and Sophie on Instagram. There are a few hashtags as well to follow, including #iorestoacasa . I began a new one, #coronapantry to see how people are stocking up. @ItalySegreta started another beautiful hashtag to follow: #Italyfromawindow. The most hopeful one is #tuttoandràbene , which translates as  “Everything will be ok”. Which it will.

Stay safe, be smart, but most importantly, be compassionate and helpful. 

The only way we can get through this is together.