Buonasera from Rome!

*please note that the data referred to in this post is outdated - this text was written in the beginning of March, when Italy was the first country in Europe to confine people to their homes for all but essential reasons*

The blog has been on holiday for a few weeks, but now we’re back! Many have reached out to ask how I am doing, as as of this week’s Tuesday, 10^th March, entire Italy has been placed under lockdown to prevent the coronavirus from spreading further. Today’s post contains my coronavirus situation update.

Being placed under lockdown means that Italy’s population of around 60 million people are all under strict orders to stay at their homes to avoid unnecessary contact with others, and it is only permitted to leave the house for urgent reasons (e.g. related to health, necessary shopping or work if it’s not possible to work remotely). After a week of these rules around limited movement, a total restriction of movement was introduced and closely monitored. 

All public gatherings, including weddings and funerals, sport matches and trainings etc. have been cancelled, schools, universities, museums, gyms, sport and social centers and spas are all suspended. If there is a need to exit the home, one needs to be able to prove the urgency of the outing by filling out an official declaration form that must be handed to the authorities when requested. The police is patrolling the traffic, and does checks also in public transport means and stations making sure quarantine rules are followed by all. The penalty for violating the limitations of traffic can be arrest for up to three months or a fine of up to some thousands of euros.

Foreign travelers have been asked to return to their home countries. Many guest accommodation possibilities are closed (hotels, hostels etc.), but public transport is still organised  although many flights have been cancelled to and from Italy. All restaurants, bars and shops, besides grocery stores and chemists, are closed for business. Elderly citizens, those suffering from illness and those infected by the virus are strictly to stay at home or if necessary, to seek medical care. There are also official instructions for home care provided by the health authorizations. The nation-wide lockdown provisions eventually took effect until the end of April, after which phase 1 started, lifting some of the total lockdown rules. On 16^th March it was reported that there were over 25 000 confirmed coronavirus cases and around 1 800 deaths caused by it in Italy - these numbers had increased rapidly during the past week. (Source for the above details: the webpages of the Italian Ministry of Health.)

This is all quite confusing to me, as I am a bit of a special case out here. As I am long-term traveling around Italy, I basically don’t have a permanent home to stay at. And, as I am traveling by car, it is hardly recommended for me to drive through entire Italy, especially the northern regions, with high volumes of infections, to return back to Helsinki. There would be trouble finding available accommodation for me to use on the way and at least Austria has closed the border to Italy completely – I am not sure what the situation with the other border countries is currently.

Originally my plan had been to leave further north to La Spezia this week’s Sunday, to hike in the famous costal area of Cinque Terre. I have booked a ferry ticket to hop over the island of Sardinia for next Friday, departing close to La Spezia, to engage in a two-week volunteer work job at an organic farm. As there is the strict travel ban to move around Italy without a justifiable reason (soul searching would probably not cut it), my host in La Spezia understandably cancelled my accommodation booking.

I am well – all healthy and careful when it comes to my personal hygiene to avoid getting infected by the virus or infecting others (coming from Finland, the safety distance of 1 m to other people is pretty much a given anyway). I certainly want to be cautious, but then again don’t see any point in panicking. At the moment I am staying in a small town called Passoscuro with only around 4000 inhabitants. Especially since the lockdown started I have barely had any people contact at all and I keep being careful with the hygienics - all in all, I feel safe. Yet, since of yesterday I started to get slightly concerned about what to do. Where to go.

The thing with this virus is that the situation evolves and changes pretty much on a daily basis. When I was in Florence a few weeks ago, most people were laughing and making jokes about those getting the hysterics about the virus. However, many students from my language class didn’t show up to school anymore in the end, some left Italy early to return to their home countries and the teachers told us that there had been masses of cancellations for future courses. People started to hamster basics from the grocery stores, and e.g. pasta was completely finished in many shops. Another item that I have heard being hogged even as far as in Germany and Australia is toilet paper… (Only days after writing this post, toilet paper mania had become a world-wide phenomenon.) Hand sanitizers and face masks are completely sold out everywhere. My friend purchased a bag of masks (for a silly photoshoot of us drinking Corona beer behind our masks) and he was offered 100 € on the street for the bag of ten masks by a concerned stranger.

Compared to the first week of March, I witnessed barely any change in the behavior of the locals in Passoscuro. In our local store we even had toilet paper – the only essentials that were almost out of stock were bread (lucky me, only my preferred whole wheat options were left), eggs and plane canned tuna, but it could have only been the daily stock situation. No empty shelves or hysteric shoppers were detected by me. The salespeople at the store woare masks, which they didn’t do the previous week. My apartment host had told me that for now groceries should be available normally, but there had been rumors that this might change, so she recommended to stock up with food for a week – just in case. Other than this, I could see no difference in the everyday life here. There were even cars moving around just as they did when I arrived.  

Within a matter of days the general vibe changed drastically: at the store we were let inside one by one, and had to stand in-line outside with the safety distance between us, so the shop had a maximum of 24 persons in it at all times. It was obligatory to wear masks and gloves in the shop (the only place in addition to pharmacies were outings were possible at this stage). Cars were not moving around and people were truly staying at their homes, the police was patrolling the streets. Even walks and outdoor sports were prohibited at this point. The atmosphere was a bit strange, and communication about the rules very confusing, but on many evenings, people gathered on their balconies to sing together or have loud discussions. This really felt quite heart-warming. 

Passoscuro beach, Passoscuro views from my balcony and #QuarantineCass is action before the total lockdown

I didn’t get to see all the things I wanted to in Rome and around the area, but this, of course is irrelevant in the scope of it all – mainly I am happy that I am well and healthy and have a comfortable, safe place to hide out at :) To my relieve, I am welcome to stay at the current house I am renting for as long as needed, as my wonderful host is fully aware of my situation and also considers the option of me driving back home more dangerous than staying put here. It will remain open whether I am able to travel to Sardinia next week – based on the situation today, probably not, but then again, we won’t know what’s possible until some time has passed…

I am in contact with my volunteer job boss and the apartment hosts for the accommodations I had booked for the rest of the one-month stay in Sardinia, and we’ll simply have to play it by ear. Maybe I can travel to Sardinia after the quarantine is over, sometime later than planned. Air B n B has been very helpful with providing accurate safety instructions to its customers and offering full refunds for any bookings that need to be cancelled due to the travel restrictions caused by the virus outbreak.

The ferry company hasn’t communicated anything as of yet, which is just another example of people and companies not knowing what will happen to them and their services in the upcoming days – only time will tell. While naturally getting the outbreak under control is the first and foremost priority for Italy (and the rest of the world) at the moment, it is devastating to consider all the repercussions of the pandemic. My host told me that almost all her apartment bookings have been cancelled and I doubt she’s the only one.

I have to say that this is one of the weirdest situations I have ever been in. I’d say a sabbatical in Italy is pretty much a once in a lifetime adventure, and who would have guessed I’d be in quarantine due to a pandemic a few months in to the trip? Well, such is life. Knowing that everything happens for a reason, in terms of my trip, being stuck in Passoscuro was meant to be. I truly hope these measures will help to gain control of the situation and prevent more health issues and deaths.

Passoscuro is a calm, small town and beach resort just outside of Rome. This has been the perfect accommodation for me, as I can literally see and hear the sea from my balcony, yet take the train to Vatican City in 20 minutes. I spent a few days exploring beautiful Rome last week and had saved a couple of other places and e.g. the Colosseum for a sunny day this week… There are also multiple villages, malls, sights and castles to visit close to Passoscuro, easily reachable by car, and I managed to visit a few of these, too, before the quarantine. Already last week Rome was pretty deserted, and I didn’t need to queue or wrestle for a spot at any sights or museums (Basilica of San Pietro, the Vatican Museums, Trevi fountain, the famous piazzas and Villa Borghese).

Basilica di San Pietro in Vatican City, Rome street views, Trevi fountain, Cass feat. Piazza di Popoli and my beloved seashells

The last month I spent in Firenze was such a fun adventure, and a lot was going on. I met amazing people, went out a lot and engaged in random happenings I could never had predicted (I for sure captured some juicy stories from this life period to remember when I am in retirement). In the aftermath of it all, I have enjoyed strolling around the beach by myself, collecting seashells and reflecting in a more peaceful environment, focusing again on my wellbeing, motivations and inspiration. I can still feel the old exhaustion lurking inside of me and even if especially after the lockdown my daily pace has been everything but hectic, my days pass by quickly.

Again I have come to the conclusion that I feel like I am exactly where I am supposed to be right now. The weather is getting pleasantly warm, it’s sunny and even up to 17 degrees. I could be irritated or angry, but I am not. I do have places to go to and see, but all in due course – my adventure isn’t over yet. Like my mom put it, a crisis brings people together and I am so grateful for being able to stay put in Passoscuro, being supported by a wonderful host, who shares updates on the situation and advice with me. Also, the warmth of the community is comforting.

I am happy for having a roof over my head, even if I am not able to travel further for the time being. I have a stocked-up fridge and toilet paper. I’m good. I can walk along the beach for kilometers and dip my feet into the cold water. I can take my time to read and write and maybe even do a Netflix marathon. Isn’t it funny that after taking time off, I have hardly ever had the time to watch any Netflix? Well, if there is one bright side to Corona, maybe it’s this.

If Britney can make it through 2007, we can make it through the quarantine.

Stay safe and healthy, everyone!

Bacio 💋 Cass