Italians Are United In Isolation

While the Italian spirit is still very much intact, the tourism sector could take a few years to bounce back

- Archana Singh

The country that gave the word ‘quarantine’ almost 600 years ago is once again fighting the worst epidemic it has faced in centuries. The Covid-19,a global pandemic, attacked with such unimaginable speed that the world had no option but to bunker in to help slow the coronavirus spread.

Epidemics, like tragedies, have an uncanny ability to reveal the underlying culture and character about the societies they impact. China arguably demonstrated its draconian top-down communist philosophy by keeping the swift-moving, incurable disease a secret from the world for a long time.

On the contrary, despite having the maximum casualties, Italians didn’t panic much as they have confidence in their public-health system and Government. Diana Bancale, a travel blogger and founder of inviaggiodasola.com, echoes the sentiment, “No one knew coronavirus would hit us so badly and so suddenly. Yet our Government handled the situation in their best capacity. Thanks to a robust healthcare system, over 1.5 million people were tested for coronavirus, completely free. This is why our numbers are much higher than elsewhere. Also, we know if we fall sick, our government will take care of us and our livelihood.”

Like Bancale, most Italians know this, and therefore instead of getting overwhelmed by the disease they found creative, quirky and inspiring ways to define their own distinct “quarantine culture” — from hanging hand-drawn rainbow flags from their balconies with the expression