As Italy approaches a month of lockdown, Italians are coming together to cheer each other up through art, food, music, and many more memes. Italians are masters of improvisation and, armed with technology, a resilient wit and a willing sense of irony, they have it in their power to spread their charm and talents online to provide welcome relief in those difficult times. As the center of Europe’s crisis, northern Italy has been hit hard by the coronavirus in cities like Bergamo, Brescia and Milan, but weeks of social distancing are helping. to flatten the curve while expressions of solidarity keep us hopeful as we make our way through this long, dark tunnel.
Marina Cacciapuoti from Italia Segreta was one of the first to show us a glimmer of hope when she introduced the hashtag #ItalyFromAWindow. ” When you’re forcibly trapped at home, your windows are EVERYTHING. . . allowing you to enjoy the first glimpse of spring, the smell of what your neighbors are cooking, the sound of a quiet city, the crashing waves or the chirping of birds. These oblong getaways are a constant reminder that life will return to normal and the immense good looks of our country. ” she posted on Instagram, accompanied by a series of travel-worthy photographs of perspectives from Tuscany, Sicily, Rome and beyond.
In fact, windows are at the forefront of Italian coexistence in those days, as Italians live their lives watching the outdoors and singing songs from their balconies. In mid-March, influencers Chiara Ferragni and Fedez hosted a live concert with Andrea Bocelli. Instagram Stories and broadcast the speakers of the event in his Milan neighborhood.
In Rome, my friend Annie Ojile from Scooteroma Tours discovered that her new neighbor, Paolo Anzilero, is a talented opera singer and filmed him serenading locals on the streets and his fans on Instagram. The reaction has been overwhelmingly positive, with fans sharing messages. that says, “Your posts make everything a little less gloomy. “Despite everything we’ve done with social media over the past decade, it’s been a must-have tool for feeling good in this strange time.
In addition to “tutto andrà bene” (everything will be fine), another slogan that circulates widely online is “la cultura non si ferma” (culture does not stop). In an effort to entertain, educate, and soothe the Italian psyche (and satisfy our wanderlust), many Italian museums, theaters, and cultural centers have put their programming online.
The Teatro di San Carlo di Napoli, the oldest opera house in the world, streams operas and ballets on its social media channels at 8 p. m. almost each and every night, while Monteverdi, a luxury estate in Tuscany, has presented a virtual series of resident artists with musicals. Performances through musicians and singers who have conducted in assets in the past. Raffaello’s long-awaited exhibition at Rome’s Scuderie del Quirinale, which celebrates the 500th anniversary of the Renaissance master’s death, can now be viewed online. In addition to the special broadcasts and one-off events, Natalie Aldern Kennedy of An American in Rome has also put together a list of six charming Italian museums that you can stop at virtually.
And for art even closer to home, guides Lauren Mouat and Luca Missouri recreate Italy’s most famous paintings with pieces found in their apartment in Livorno. So far, they have been disguised as the Duke and Duchess of Urbino, the portrait of Piero della Francesca and Caravaggio’s Bacchus. For those who prefer to digest their culture through audio, journalist Erica Firpo interviews 21st-century Italian designers, from traditional artists and brands to chefs and innovators, on her weekly podcast Ciao Bella.
Culture may nourish the soul, but food nourishes the body, and cooking has proven indispensable not only to our physical health but also to our emotional well-being. Many prominent Italian chefs have gone virtual, and Michelin-starred Massimo Bottura invites us to his home each evening for a new edition of Kitchen Quarantine. This cooking hour together makes us feel part of his long family circle and is helping us to better understand Chef Bottura’s skillful techniques and irreverent personality.
Meanwhile, food tour hosts Elizabeth Minchilli and her daughter Sophie motivate us with fine Italian cuisine from their farmhouse in Umbria. Each week, they present a new meal plan with delicious seasonal dishes and percentage demonstrations to help viewers recreate the flavors of Italy in their homes. all over the world. What shines through is the essence of Italian cuisine: the longevity of cucina povera, which uses local ingredients and staples to prepare dishes that are more the sum of its parts. (This emphasis on simplicity might be why there’s a primary shortage in Italian grocery stores: A bag of chickpeas, a piece of Parmesan cheese, and day-old bread are enough here. )
We have long known that necessity is the mother of invention and stimulates true ingenuity. In Italy, dining out is a sacred ritual in which food is served at the table in several courses, reservations are made over the phone, and money remains the main method of payment; However, desperate times call for desperate measures and many trattorias, bakeries and specialty retailers see it as an opportunity to serve their consumers in new ways.
Restaurants such as Maripassld and Santopalato bring a sense of comfort and warmth to homes through personalized delivery services, while large wine stores such as Bernabei and Trimani are helping to make quarantine more appropriate in the capital. The department stores specializing in chocolate SAID and Grezzo send handmade Easter eggs to your home for the next vacation and Faro’s specialty coffee guarantees that you will not spend your quarantine without quality caffeine. Retrobottega, one of Rome’s most avant-garde restaurants, is also helping local farmers with a new delivery service that offers new fruits and vegetables from the countryside to the city center.
And what can we do in the long term? All of us in the industry watch with apprehension as workers are laid off, hotels are closed, and experience-based jobs disappear before our eyes. But what if we could reflect some of the feeling of being absent, within our homes?
Towards the beginning of the lockdown in Italy, my friend Rachel Zitin, a local excursion advisor and yoga instructor, wisely said, “Now is not the time to throw in the towel. Now is the time to get creative. And in the industry, this has largely translated into the implementation of online activities. Popular Italian Instagram accounts come together under the hashtag #ItaliadalDivano (Italy from the couch) as local content creators give us a glimpse of their hometowns via Instagram Stories, while The Florentine mag presents online networking occasions where creatives concentrate their cooking skills, drinking, journaling, and even combing your hair.
Coral Sisk, founder of Curious Appetite food tours, now provides the company’s reports digitally. The most productive thing to do for dining in Florence is to enjoy an online Italian food tour with a food historian from the comfort of your own home. World Wine World Champion Cha McCoy, an experienced sommelier and producer, has presented #UnitedWeTaste to bring together wine personalities from around the world for virtual tastings. The Beehive, a family-run hostel located in Rome, has also hosted its monthly Storytellers event. keeping it online.
It’s highly unlikely to reflect the experience of 360-degree travel during lockdown, but thanks to streaming cultural events online, sharing recipes, and connecting through a virtual snack, we can feel a little closer and let our imaginations travel a little easier in those unprecedented times.