One Saturday evening in early March, a moment of relaxation and "freedom", like many others, in a town in the Veneto.
Many of us were away from home with friends or relatives, at dinner, at the cinema, at the theatre or even just strolling around the city.
At one point we were suddenly bombarded with messages regarding the ordinance that closed some Italian provinces, including Padua, Venice and Treviso, confining them in the red zone, with an infinite series of limitations.
At that moment it seemed to us to be catapulted into a war movie.
All of a sudden we felt harnessed in a tangle of rules, which prevented us from moving; we looked at each other astonished and started to list what we could no longer do, from the next day.
Everything had changed, our habits changed, our certainties vanished and fear, as well as mistrust towards others, began to gain the upper hand.
Until the day before, we were overwhelmed by a whirlwind, where work, success, money, social commitments, the care of our image, moments of leisure, ... marked the time.
From this moment on, everything stopped.
No more breakfast at the bar or dinners in the restaurant, all trips out of town and any type of travel cancelled, ban on meeting your children or parents residing in other provinces.
This crescendo found its climax with the suspension of most work activities.
A month after that Saturday evening, in which the heart of our town has started to slow down and change its rhythm, fear and anguish are giving way to hope and the desire to start living again.
As for the plants, which a month ago seemed lifeless and today are covered with buds and flowers, even those that, forced into a small space, look for other ways to blossom, so it is for us!
We will be able to defeat this invisible enemy and return to "normal life", but we must first take care of ourselves, of our town and find alternative ways for rebirth.
Here then each of us, all of us, from ordinary people to great entrepreneurs, is trying to change their lifestyle and work, adapting it to the present, to the "here and now".
All production sectors of the best of Italian excellence, from fashion to food, in compliance with government rules, have started making home delivery, or selling their products online.
Many companies continue their production in smart working and some great designers make masks and gowns for healthcare facilities.
And even those who cannot actively participate in the recovery, however, try to make the best use of their time, dedicating themselves to their loved ones and themselves, rediscovering real values, which had been replaced by other more ephemeral ones, venturing into the kitchen, dedicating themselves to the garden and/or to the vegetable garden, thus contributing to a healthier diet for their family.
We are realizing that even shopping can be done with greater awareness, once a week, reducing travel and preferring products from the Italian supply chain, preferably at 0 km and with less packaging, to help reduce waste.
Furthermore, all this has given new life to the natural heritage of our country, making the water of the sea and rivers cleaner, the sky blue again, cleaner and clearer air, ... even the canals of Venice are clear!
Italy, therefore, will emerge from this hard period of its history, albeit slowly and laboriously, but it will manage to heal its wounds, dressing itself with new and surprising opportunities.
Thanks to the tenacity and the now fully grown awareness of indispensable need for renewal, each of us will always do his and her part to re-introduce our country to the world, in all its beauty, its culture, its history and its heritage of excellence.
And also to tell the story of your land, with its tradition, its typical dishes, the particular characters that inhabit it, is a way to enhance Italy and make it known, to rediscover hidden places and interesting stories that each of us has always wanted to tell , but never had the chance.
Together we can do it!
#ilfuturonellenostreradici
Follow us