49 Days have passed since Italy started the lockdown. 49 difficult, sorrowful, boring, and worrisome days.
Somehow we made it!
We all waited for the PM speech on April 26, to know how our new life will be from now to mid-May.
The PM bravely started his speech praising his fellow Italians:
«You have shown strength, now a new phase begins. We have to face it methodically and rigorously ».
A list of what will be permitted followed. Followed almost immediately by a much longer list of complaints from those fellow Italians. Some were fair, some unfair, and some quite funny.
Hairdresser Salons cannot reopen until June 1st. A couple of salon owners in protest tied themselves to the door of their salon with chains, quite tick too! I’m afraid that they won’t get my business anytime soon. It is one of the last places I would go until I’m quite sure it is safe to do so, my hair can grow to my knees! 😄
Likewise Bar & Restaurants cannot open before June 1, but they can provide “take away” food. Again, we can observe Italian ingenuity at its best. Bars that normally offered coffee/cappuccino only, quickly reinvented themselves as providers of milk, bread, brioches for takeaway.
Parks will open too, and physical activity will be permitted again. 😎
Visits to relatives? Yes, but no parties
The PM gave a generalized confirmation regarding travel, but add the possibility of targeted travel to visit relatives while respecting the distances and without gatherings. He used the word “congiunti” in explaining the above (It means “kin”).
It’s an old-fashion word, seldom used nowadays. It became immediately the word of the day! There are reports of a sudden spike in internet searches for the word congiunti, which has also leaped to the top of trending terms on Twitter.
Like for “kin”, “congiunto” is a ‘relative‘ or ‘relation‘, in a fairly broad sense. It comes from the verb congiungere, ‘to join together.’
So, is a boyfriend a “congiunto?” What about a lover? That was everybody’s big question!
As for the tourism sector, the PM said that it will receive “robust support” from the government, with a plan being under consideration for the activity of the beach resorts to reopen safely (without adding further details on the rest of the sector).
What resonated with me, however, was a simple straightforward sentence:
“Italy cannot afford the contagion curve to rise again.”
Life in Italy 
We are “stuck” here in the U.S. Our government won’t let us travel and Italy on’t have us at the moment. We don’t know when we can return to our home in Tret. Like everyone else, we wait and wonder, hoping for an “all clear” soon. In the meantime (I like frattempo better). #StayAtHome and stay well.
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Glad to hear you are well. Please keep it so.
As you read restrictions are relaxed a little, but the news tonight said that in Germany the infection is growing again. It is worrisome.
This is so terrible. But let’s keep positive. Once you get to italy I’ll come and visit. I promise!
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We both would love to meet you! A presto!
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Great post and, as always, great photos. I hope you and your congiunti stay safe!
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My son’s—who is now in Greece—mother tongue is English, as his formative years where in USA, although rather fluent in Italian as well, texted me to ask if is “a congiunto” 😃😁
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Thank you for such a fun read in a difficult time. Congiunti that is the question! I turned to Paolo and said “bet you there are a lot of proposals coming soon.”
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Thank you for the comment. A little humor is desperately needed these days.
But let’s not loose hope, better times will come. After all they were able to overcome all the waves of plague in much more difficult times, so we should make it too. And maybe we shall have a new renaissance ! 😉
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A very good way to think of it!
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