Friday 13 March: a day in Rome in the time of the coronavirus
8h00: wake-up
8h30: get out to Forno Roscioli (750 metres away according to Google map) to buy bread, pizza and pastry, together with my son P (age 14). Only one person at a time is allowed into the shop, everyone else has to wait outside, he waits outside too.
9h00: back home for breakfast and coffee. My youngest son L (age 12) is awake, he has breakfast too.
9h30: P has to learn a poem for school. His brother L is a bit at a loose end, I ask him to choose a book to read to avoid reverting to video games to kill boredom.
10h30: P sits at the computer to follow his online class via video teaching. L is reading, I am going out again to buy fish. I cycle to the San Cosimato market in Trastevere, my nearest fishmonger (1.9 km away on Google map). On my return, I stop at my local market on piazza delle Coppelle to check if it is open on Saturday.
11h30: I took the shopping out and put it in the fridge. I sit in front of my computer.
12h30: P and L eat up the pizza I bought at Forno Roscioli, they have lunch by themselves, I continue to work, I have to finish an article for the afternoon.
14h00: I eat the left-over from the previous night, rice with okra and burratta cheese bought from the market. I then have coffee with a piece of chocolate.
15h30: I go out again using the pretext of buying bin bags as I don’t like being stuck inside. I walk around the Pantheon and piazza Navona to take pictures of an empty Rome.
16h00: I go back home to post a video online and send my article. I check my emails, it is quiet. P is still studying on the computer. His days are longer than when he is at school. L has finished the two video conferences he had, his school day is finished. He goes online to play with friends. His day is lighter than his brother’s.
17h00: I ask L to go out a bit since he has been stuck inside all day. We walk through via Zanardelli towards castel Sant’Angelo (950 metres). Once there, I propose to walk up the via della Concilazione towards St Peter’s square. I’d like to see it empty. Five minutes later, I get stopped by the Carabinieri who see me taking pictures. They ask me for my self justification form, which I have forgotten at home. It is a new requirement imposed last Wednesday: when going out we need to carry a form justifying why we are out. Only four options are allowed: work, shopping for food, health issues, or returning to one’s domicile. One of the carabinieri is rather aggressive, he tells me that I am not allowed to be out taking pictures, I should stay at home if I don’t want to risk a penal sanction. I reply that I was going on a walk with my son who has been stuck inside all day. Walks are allowed in the outdoor when sufficiently away from other people, which is exactly what we were doing. We are near enough our residence to justify our outing. They nevertheless take my ID (French) and register my name. I didn’t think of showing my press card to justify taking pictures, I was with my son and was worried for him.
18h00: Return home. A flashmob launched on social media doesn’t happen in our area. It suggested to open our windows at 6pm and play music to the street. Following my encounter with the carabinieri, I don’t have the heart to play music allowed. I stay quiet as is my street. I live in central Rome, no one else lives there anymore, without the tourists, it is now a ghost city. I wash the kitchen instead. P is still sitting in front of the computer, he hasn’t been out since this morning when we went to Forno Roscioli. Not an ideal situation for a 14 year old (nearly 15).
19h30: I start preparing dinner, we are waiting for their father’s return. He is allowed to go to work and has longer and longer days.
20h30: Family dinner. We talk about the situation of our scattered family with daughters at university in the UK; Holland and France. It raises many questions on the modern family set-up.
