LESLIE MCBRIDE WILE 13 April Today is Pasquetta, “little Easter.” In Italy, the day after the holiest day of the Christian calendar is also a national holiday, traditionally a day to relax after the emotional rigors of solemn church vigils…
LESLIE MCBRIDE WILE 3 April This morning I started my little Fiat for the first time since 19 March and went shopping for necessities. I went armed with a mask, several pairs of disposable gloves, hand sanitizer, and Clorox wipes,…
LESLIE MCBRIDE WILE 31 March 2020 When a social welfare state doesn’t seem like such a bad idea: when the Protezione Civile delivers a washable, protective face mask to your post box—gratis. When you live in a country that prioritizes quality of…
LESLIE MCBRIDE WILE 29 March 2020 A terrible milestone yesterday: 10,000 Italians have died of the virus, 542 in 24 hours in Lombardia where it began its scourging of this most pleasant country. Nurses and doctors, exhausting themselves and dying…
LESLIE MCBRIDE WILE Monday, 23 March 2020 Today the Italian government issued a revised form of the auto-dichiarazione (self-declaration) we must all carry when we leave our homes. The new model requires additional details of the bearer’s identity and specific…
LESLIE MCBRIDE WILE My husband and I have been going about life under quarantine much as we would under normal circumstances. We spend part of each day outdoors, working in our gardens, preparing for spring and summer. We brought our…
LESLIE MCBRIDE WILE 17 March I realized yesterday that going to the supermarket makes me feel anxious. Going indoors almost anywhere except home makes my heart beat faster, my breath go tight and shallow. So I decide I won’t go…
