Hard to believe it’s been three years since COVID was declared a world health emergency. And one of its earliest victims? Italy.
In one of the cruelest historical ironies ever, Italy, one of Earth’s most aesthetically beautiful countries — a nation which has given pleasure to so much of humanity over millennia — was the first to feel the ugly wrath of the new coronavirus. Italian hospitals were overwhelmed; ambulance sirens screamed into the night; wails of affected families echoed from cities to rural villages. COVID even denied this most tactile of nations the inability to touch and comfort.
A month or so later, however, images of Italians on their balconies, singing and sharing wine with their neighbors, inspired a battered humanity — just as it had during the Middle Ages, when the Renaissance (Rinascimento) lifted the veil of darkness which oppressed the world. All roads really do lead to Rome.
On another level, Italy’s economy was likewise victimized by COVID. Without its usual hordes of tourists, the nation took a financial hit. It wasn’t until last summer, with COVID restrictions easing and vaccinations finally taking hold, that Italy tentatively opened its borders again.
I hadn’t been to Italy since August 2019 and was getting serious withdrawal symptoms. Perusing a sculptural or painted masterpiece on ZOOM is nice but it isn’t the same as seeing either in person. Ditto the experience which even the greenest tourist recognizes as invaluable: being able to eat Italian food.
Those pictures of super-crowded Roman streets last summer whetted my appetite for travel; however, they also knocked some common sense into my head. Give it one more year. Stories of tourists-behaving-badly also made me realize people needed to shake post-COVID madness out of their systems.
I finally booked a two-week trip from April 19th – May 4th, focusing on the Veneto and Tuscany–specifically, the cities of Trieste, Vicenza, and Lucca. I had been to the latter two before but was going back purely for selfish reasons; that is, pursuing possible work or teaching opportunities in Vicenza while doing some genealogical research in Lucca (my great-great grandfather emigrated from nearby Altopascio in 1890). I had never visited Trieste before yet found it as fascinating as any other Italian city I’ve visited. Its shared Austrian/Italian heritage, as well as its being a major coffee capital of Italy (the famous Illy company is based there), was endlessly intriguing. And, of course, there were Roman ruins in the middle of the city. Go re-read my third blog paragraph.
Some common, off-the-cuff observations, take them with a grain of “sale” (salt):
a) Italians have always loved dogs but I was rather stunned by the number of them this time around. They outnumbered children. A week into my trip it finally hit me: COVID canines. The pooches gave Italians an excuse to flee their constricted apartments.
b) Two new popular items: blue jeans and vaping. True, the origins of jeans can be traced to Genoa but they never seemed to catch on in Italy. This is no longer true. But, don’t despair: True to form, the Italians spruced up the informality of jeans by wearing stylish hats, jackets, or shoes as accessories. As for vaping: Even distinguished-looking elderly Italians were sucking on these cancer sticks. Why do Italians always imitate our bad habits?
c) Two things which never get old: church bells ringing any time of day (time stands still) and listening to preschoolers speak in Italian (charming).
d) My hotel in Lucca (the Ilaria) was attached to a villa on one side and had a river inlet running in the middle of the street on the other side. “Surrounded by beauty” is not a cliche in Italy. And, as it was mid-Spring, there were flowers, flowers everywhere, be they on balconies or jutting out from train tracks.
e) Yes, the trains still run on time. And though cars are plentiful, Italians still ride bikes if or when they can. Saves time and money and burns off fat.
Below is a link to an article on famous writers who, far better than I just did, sang the praises of Italy, now open for business — and pleasure — once again. -BDC
How to Travel Italy in the Footsteps of your Favorite Writers
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