Photo: Alessandro Grassani for the New York Times
This woman in Milan is part of Italy’s spontaneous self-isolation music scene. I love the look on her face. For all I know she may be thinking about making dinner or washing the bathtub, but it sure looks like she’s conscious of performing a sacrament.
If you’re on social media or following the news in some other way — and who isn’t? — you probably already know about this lovely aspect of the Italian spirit, but I thought the piece by Jason Horowitz at the New York Times was especially good.
“It started with the national anthem. Then came the piano chords, trumpet blasts, violin serenades and even the clanging of pots and pans — all of it spilling from people’s homes, out of windows and from balconies, and rippling across rooftops.
“Finally, on Saturday afternoon, a nationwide round of applause broke out for the doctors on the medical front lines fighting the spread of Europe’s worst coronavirus outbreak. …
“Italians remain essentially under house arrest as the nation, the European front in the global fight against the coronavirus, has ordered extraordinary restrictions on their movement to prevent contagions. … But the cacophony erupting over the streets, from people stuck in their homes, reflects the spirit, resilience and humor of a nation facing its worst national emergency since the Second World War.
“Like any national crisis, the virus has exposed the flaws of those countries it has struck the hardest, whether it be the reflex for secrecy in China, the downplaying of the crisis in Iran or the initial confusion and fragmentation in the Italian response.
“But to the extent that this is a virus that tries people’s souls, it has also demonstrated the strengths of those national characters.
In China, patriotic truck drivers risked infection to bring desperately needed food to the people of Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak. In Iran, videos show doctors in full scrubs and masks dancing to keep spirits up.
“And in Italy, the gestures of gratitude and music ring out above the country’s vacated streets, while social media feeds fill with encouraging, sentimental and humorous web videos.
“On Friday evening, at the exact hour that health officials normally update the daily numbers of the country’s increasing infected and dead, Italians from the southern islands to the Alps sang the national anthem and played instruments. … On Saturday, one image circulating widely showed a nurse cradling the Italian peninsula in her arms. …
“The duress also seemed to stir patriotism in a country that has a deep suspicion of nationalism. The Italian media reported a spike in sales of the Italian flag. The national anthem, usually limited to the start of soccer matches, reverberated off palazzo walls at 6 p.m. on Friday. …
“At noon in Verona on Saturday, the peal of church bells gave way to the clapping of hands as Cristina Del Fabbro, 53, stood on her balcony applauding with her daughter Elisa, 21.
“ ‘We want to thank doctors and nurses,’ she said. ‘They can’t stay safe at home as we do, they are tired and worried but they stay there, for those who get sick and need them.’ …
“A reporter working at home in the Chinatown section of Milan for the online newspaper Il Post, stuck his head out the window on Friday and added to the concert with refrains from ‘Nessun Dorma.’ He considered the sudden symphony ‘a small brick in nation building.’
‘We showed that in this hard time we can stick together,’ he said. ‘We were a community, not just a bunch of individuals.’
Lots of other lovely examples at the New York Times, here.
PS. Don’t you find that your perceptions of how you should behave change on a daily, almost hourly, basis? When I woke up Thursday, I thought I’d be going for my annual physical Friday — on the subway. Nope. Rescheduled. Now I don’t even meet my grandchildren unless it’s outdoors. And I’m ordering home delivery of milk in bottles from a dairy. It won’t be delivered by horse, but it’s still kind of cool.
Suzanne's Mom's Blog 
Nice post. It is odd how quickly things are changing. I talked to students last week about the idea of using online lessons if classes are cancelled with a plan to teach them and test it on Tuesday. Now, schools are closed. I’m still going to try to implement it but it will be more of a struggle.
As a volunteer, I am planning to help the ESL teacher of classes advanced enough to write compositions. Not sure how, but I can edit and give feedback remotely. We are trying to figure it out.
Can they write in Word and send it to you that way?
That class uses Google Docs. I will let you know how we proceed.
I think there is way to comment and leave feedback on Google Docs. Let me know if you want more information.
Yes, thanks. I do know how that works.
Lovely for all that singing to go in the midst of what can only be called a tragedy. And you are so right about the rapidly changing situation. This past week has felt like a year.
Yesterday I thought shopping once in a while might be OK if I go very early. Today I am ordering more things delivered. (Always trying to use services other than Amazon, though. Got no love for Bezos.)
Make sure you wipe down the boxes with some kind of sanitizing wipe. Unfortunately, the virus can live on surfaces.
Great point!