Our property in the countryside is somewhat isolated but reasonably easily accessible . It’s perched on the side of a mountain in the Apennines over a river valley with steep mountains in front and behind it. There are many other farms in those mountains whose access is extremely difficult even treacherous as the river becomes an untraversable torrent. The area is covered with isolated farms ingeniously terraced to make the most of the steep mountainsides.
There were farm fields on a ridge far up in the mountains that I could see from our kitchen window and I always wondered why they went so high into the countryside to cultivate that property, until one morning, I realized that the sun, rising directly behind it, hit that field first thing in the morning and, of course, I had always enjoyed watching its reflection set on that very hillside. It got at least 12 hours of sunlight in the growing season. They had to be totally self sufficient, isolated as they were.
When we lived exclusively out at the house, 9 kilometers from town, there were forced periods of isolation and confinement like snow storms or landslides. There were also challenges like power and phone outages that lasted for days or, in the case of the phone and internet access, sometimes weeks. Each required its coping strategy.
With a small child to entertain the strategies could be quite challenging. Seemingly endless games of Monopoly, puzzles, and Scopa, and Briscola, with the beautiful 40 card Neapolitan decks, were the antidote to television or computer and sometimes imperative, as in the case of power outages. It was unnerving and frustrating feeling trapped inside. You developed patience and fortitude. It was all character building.
Europe has lived through two devastating wars in the last 100 years. WW II ended for Italy 75 years ago next month, the 25th of April. The city I live in took devastating bombing in April of 1945, the last battles of the war were fought here just above the gothic line. The parents, grandparents, and great grandparents here are children of the war years. The people of this area know the hardships and impoverishment of living in isolation.
Italians are gregarious, demonstrative and affectionate. It is a real sacrifice to be forced not to socialize and they’re being totally compliant. There have been a couple of blips. The city of Lucca has just had to cordon off the promenade on the top of its famous wall, as did the seaside city of Viareggio for their promenade after last weekend, when it was crowded with people seeking companionship, even at a distance, in the sunshine. Otherwise people are only leaving their homes to go grocery shopping, standing in calm lines at a distance of one meter apart, or run other essential errands. There has been no panic shopping.
Two wars and periods of extreme economic hardship and isolation have strengthened this small community’s character. They are pragmatic, responsible, resourceful and family oriented which encourages a compassionate respect for others. During this period there is a “we’re all in the same boat” solidarity, using the same metaphor in Italian. Reading any of the literature or poetry from the early 20th century here, one gets a sense of the strength and seriousness of this community having lived through this before.
For me, the snow days and power outages at the house, entertaining a young child and the rewards and challenges of family life, are over. Our son’s character and resourcefulness is well established in its way too.
The sacrifices made in this short term will pay off. We all find ways of coping in this isolation knowing it could be worse, in its own way.
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