Goodbye Silence, Lockdown Friend
It’s possible the lockdown has turned me into a bit of an old biddy. As Milan awakens from her beauty sleep and the decibels of urban noise start to rise, so does my irritability. The sound of traffic, horns blowing, church bells ringing to invite the faithful, teenagers congregating at the street corner, jackhammers from nearby construction sites - a perfectly normal soundtrack to city life - now seem particularly grating. Our neighbours had a small gathering last night, and as the whole building shook and vibrated with the bass of their music, I found myself nostalgic for silence. I was one step away from asking them to turn the music down, but who am I to stand in the way of people celebrating the fact that they can finally see their friends?
Yesterday most of Italy’s shops, barbers, hairdresser, restaurants and so on reopened. Newspapers reported that about 70% of such businesses opened their doors. The rest remained closed, presumably because they need a few more days to implement safety regulations. Some will undoubtedly not be able to resume business at all, time will tell. Milan’s Duomo held its first mass with 35 congregants. Some but not all museums reopened. Cemeteries reopened too - people will finally be able to pay tribute to the loved ones they have lost. Lest we forget, amid all our excitement to book our mani-pedi, the toll that this virus has taken on the Italian people.
As for me, I did pop into my local Nike store (I don’t win the award for supporting local business, I know, but I needed a pair of workout shorts) where I was the only customer and the selection was very poor. I left empty handed. Apparently, there were a lot of people who were just dying to go to Ikea, because my local branch (along with others all over Italy) reported huge queues and over 3,000 visitors. Going to Ikea is my idea of a nightmare in any circumstance, I can’t imagine wanting to go there now that you have to queue for hours. Who knows what moves consumer behaviour? Maybe it was all the press about Sweden’s supposedly superior handling of the virus that makes Italians think that if they purchase an impossibly difficult to assemble but cheap closet called Kleppstad, everything will be OK.
In other news, here is some proof that Italy remains a popular tourist destination, no matter how bad the pandemic: A couple from Germany was apprehended in the centre of Rome on Sunday, where they were nonchalantly taking a tour of the city centre. Apparently, they had driven undetected all the way from Germany to Rome on a little road trip. They were fined over 1,000 euros each and forced to quarantine for two weeks under supervision of the local health authorities. I hope that snap of the Trevi Fountain was worth it.