Italians have been on lockdown since the start of last week in an effort to slow down the cases of COVID-19 in the country. Everything that isn’t deemed necessary is closed, from schools to museums to cinemas to gyms. Cities and towns alike are empty, with only a few people walking their dogs out and about. It’s a difficult situation for everybody but the Italian spirit stays strong, and music proves it.
Much like the quarantined Chinese in Wuhan did and how the Spanish are starting to do now, for a couple of days Italians have been opening up their windows and stepping out onto their balconies towards the end of the afternoon to sing traditional songs together, or the national anthem, or famous Italian tunes - a show of community and solidarity for the doctors and nurses and patients in the hospitals but also for the country in general, a way of saying to each other “we’ll get through this”.
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The “Italian balconies” have been happening from north to south. In Turin, they’re dancing the Macarena:
While in Sicily, they’re singing one of the island’s most famous traditional songs titled “Çiuri, çiuri,” which translates to “Flowers, flowers”:
In Salerno it’s the national anthem:
While in Siena it’s a traditional song dedicated to “our Siena”:
And Naples as well:
The entire country is singing, finding a way to be together even at a distance.
