‘A Calm Heart Is Valuable’: Life in Italy Under Coronavirus Lockdown

Moments of grace amid an ongoing global crisis

Lago di Mezzola. Photo courtesy of the author.

I was starting to feel drained. I sorely needed a good hard workout and a walk in the woods.

I packed up my bike and put my “hall pass” in my jacket in case the police stopped me. Movement for “health reasons” is allowed. Grocery shopping, traveling for necessary work, or coming home from another area is also allowed. People are out walking their dogs and doing maintenance work along the roads. Generally, riding a bike or walking along a trail seems to be allowed. The carabinieri have driven by me when I’m out to stretch my legs without so much as a glance.

My first stop was Alessandra’s house, a neighbor. We’d picked up a few groceries for her in our last delivery. First thing she asked was if I was over my cold. I was. She maintained a distance from me and refrained from giving me the usual cheek kiss — the new normal. No eye rolls, no griping about the rules or the lockdown. She was out gardening and happy for the time off. We chatted for a while. The girlfriend of the guy next door had been sick with a fever for two days, so there was concern about exposure.

I stopped up the road to visit another neighbor, a fellow Americano named James. Like Alessandra, he respectfully…