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I'm going to share my experience of the last Tuesday (10/03/2020) in Rome, Italy, on the first day of the lockdown (coronavirus reason).

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Update: Before anyone judges me for being out on the streets in such a day, I want to make it clear the reason why I was in Italy and especially in Rome. I arrived in Italy at a time when nobody was talking coronavirus at all. I went there to finalize the documents regarding my citizenship, cause without them, I wouldn't be able to stay in Europe. Also, the trip to Rome was due to a flight connection to Copenhagen. Summarizing, I was not enjoying my time, not traveling around and disrespecting the rules.

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My idea here is to just share what I saw, but it does not mean I agree with what I saw.

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Blera, March 10th, 2020.

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These are notes taken during the trip from Blera to Rome.

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• 6:00. I get up quickly, take a shower and try hard to close my backpack which is about to explode (apart from clothes, I also fit in pasta, pecorino romano, Italian cosmetics and also 2 Italian coffee makers I got to give as a gift) - everything must weigh no more than 10kg #ryanairstyle.
• 7:00. I say goodbye to the apartment I spent weeks of happiness, anxiety, and nostalgia. On the way to the bus stop, I pass through 2 men and I ask them if the buses are still working, cause I was afraid after last night news, the whole country would completely stop. They had no mask and were on their way to work, apparently, nothing had changed so far, it was just another simple day in Blera - a small village in Lazio.

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• 7:10. I take the bus from Blera to Vetralla, the city where the train station is. Again, just another bus trip, no masks, no stress.
• 7:40. I drop by a bakery to buy water and I see the staff installing an isolation zone for the clients, in order to keep the distance between each other.
• 8:07. I take the train to Rome. The train is empty, I sit alone all the way.

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• 9:32. I arrive at Roma San Pietro (the station where you see the Vatican) and give myself a second cappuccino, while I wait for the train connection {note: coffeeshops are still open, restaurants as well}

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• 10:17. I arrive at Termini Station. If you were there once in your life, you know how crazy this station is. It's huge and always full of people. This day there were only a few, walking fast.
• 11:00. After I leave my luggage in the Airbnb room (where I'll spend some hours before my flight connection), I am excited to go out and register pictures and perceptions of the city on its first of lockdown. I leave my camera and go out with my phone, to avoid attention. Deep inside I think: It's Rome, an amazing city to explore, and I'm young, healthy, full of energy, why not? But the irony is that it doesn't matter at all in current times. The sun is out, the sky is blue {note: the Italian tone of blue}.

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• 11:20. It's my mom's birthday and I decide to stop by a cafe and record her a video while having another cup of coffee. The barista is super gentle and insists me to have a cornetto, ok. At this point I'm sitting outside with an amazing view and thinking I'll probably be scammed when I get the bill, cause after all, despite my Italian passport I look zero like an Italian.

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• 11:25. I'm still thinking: is it really quarantine? why there are so many people still walking around? I mean, there are no tourists at all but Italians look like living their lives normally.
• 11:30. I get my bill. 5EUR for a cappuccino and 4EUR for a cornetto. I felt a bit scammed cause usually you pay only 1EUR for a cappuccino anywhere in Italy, but considering Denmark pricing, 5EUR for a cappuccino is a very good deal.

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• 11:32. I'm on my way to the closest supermarket to do the groceries for the day, and I see on the map: I'm very close to the colosseum - why not to have a look, quickly?
• 11:40. I am a bit stressed at this point, cause I know it's illegal to be walking on the streets without a reason, but I take an alternative route and face the colosseum from a totally different perspective. 6 years ago I was there, and I will never forget the feeling of being in a place so overcrowded - I was never in such a crowded city before, and at that time, I didn't like Rome so much because of this. Today was different. Only the bravest tourists were there taking a selfie, no Asians, only some people breaking the rules. An unbelievable view, the most famous arena in the world was closed and empty.

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• 12:00. I'm realizing it's time to run back to the room and stay there, but first I stop by the supermarket to get some supplies (pizza and wine) and I find it quite chill, the only mess was coming from the cashiers screaming to people stay 1 meter away from each other.

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Summarizing, I spent the rest of the day in the room, getting ready for my flight to Copenhagen the next day. At 4 am I woke up and went to the station to get the transfer to Ciampino airport and got really surprised by the number of people trying to escape from Italy. That was one of the last days to leave the country, and funny enough, my Brazilian passport saved my life this time, cause Italians were not allowed to leave the country.

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Sharing these notes from Copenhagen and looking forward to finishing this complicated period of our lives {let's all collaborate!}

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