Hi all just a short post in case you are curious what is happening with the Coronavirus over here in Italy. Barbara and I, by chance, flew back to the US in late February (we ave a weeklong winter break here in Northern Italy, for all of the skiers) just as the virus was discovered to be present in parts of the country.
We were watching closely from afar as a temporary panic kicked in back in Italy, especially around Milan and Venice. But by the end of the week, things seemed to calm down and it was time to go back to work/school. Barbara decided to stay in Atlanta for a couple of weeks, to spend more time with Nick (and Celeste on spring break from LA), take care of some house stuff, and stock up on Hand Sanitizer to sell when she returns! :)
I was a little nervous about flying back to...Milan Malpensa airport (come si dice "epicenter" in italiano?), but everyone was pretty chill and, there IS something to be said for flying on an empty flight...I took over an entire row and slept in my own "sideways first class" section.
Delta Comfort 10 minutes before takeoff, and a peach bellini - the best of Italy and Georgia!
Back in Chieri: After the initial panic, everyone here seems to have calmed down quite a bit. Still concerns about Lombardy and Veneto regions, but here in Piemonte no one seems overly panicked.
The next couple of weeks will be interesting. The government closed schools across Northern Italy last week (when by coincidence we were off), but they are supposed to open this week on Wednesday. So I have a couple of days unexpectedly off (to do what else, mark papers and write bog posts!).
I'll keep you posted - I know several of you are planning to come over in the next few months - don't cancel anything yet!
Ciao miei amici!
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