ROME - 'Antigite' checkpoints and 'empty' roads in Rome. The tightened controls started as early as Friday. The local police carried out 17 thousand checks and 108 sanctions only yesterday, also against people trying to reach the coast.
FLORENCE - Silence and absence wins in the streets. Usually at Easter Florence is crowded with Florentines and tourists who witness the explosion of the cart. Motorways to the sea are also deserted, although in Versilia there have been reports of possible presences of holidaymakers in second homes.
VENICE - A deserted Venice, sunny but without any buzz, offers an unreal image of Easter day. Checks also from above with helicopters and drones, from the banks with police and carabinieri boats, and in the lagoon with the patrol boats, to intercept the possible movement of boats not motivated by necessity.
BOLOGNA - The archbishop of Bologna has asked all the churches to ring the bells at midday. Very few people around and intensified controls to prevent the sun and spring temperatures from stopping someone from giving in to the temptation of a walk.
SONDRIO - Valtellina and Valchiavenna are literally belted by numerous patrols in service on the state roads 36 of the Spluga and 38 of the Stelvio to check the possible arrival of tourists heading for the second houses of Madesimo, Bormio, Livigno, Valfurva, Valmalenco and the others holiday resort.
PERUGIA - Roads and deserted cities in Umbria for Easter marked by measures against the coronavirus pandemic. The center of Perugia is deserted and that of the other main cities, such as Assisi, usually in this period full of tourists. None even in natural areas such as Castelluccio di Norcia, Lake Trasimeno and the Marmore waterfall or in the centers of religious tourism destinations such as Cascia. In areas affected by the 2016 earthquake, Easter is experienced in small prefabricated houses. Armored and surreal climate also in Orvieto.
PALERMO - Checkpoints, helicopters and drones patrol the city. Up to now, about 10% of controlled persons have been sanctioned because they are not in compliance with government measures.
NAPLES - The bells resonate at noon in the empty streets, while the echoes of the Pope's words resound from the TVs kept at high volumes with the windows open for the warmth of spring. It is the image of surreal Easter at the time of the coronavirus, in a deserted Naples and where law enforcement agencies tighten controls to prevent good weather from pushing unnecessary exits. Throughout Campania an order from Governor De Luca also keeps supermarkets and food stores closed, normally open on Sunday mornings.
SYRACUSE - They had organized a barbecue on the street on Easter Eve with the participation of the neighborhood, but were blocked by the police who identified and sanctioned them. It happened last night in Lentini, in the Syracuse area, in via Giusti. When the policemen intervened they found themselves in front of a table of about 10 meters, laden with bottles of wine and beer, next to two lighted barbecues where ribs and slices of meat were roasted. The men of the police station immediately stopped the assembly, punishing eight people for violating the provisions on medical containment.
BOLOGNA - Many second homes on the Modena Apennines are open: the mayors of the area are furious and have received numerous reports. This was reported by the 'Gazzetta di Modena' which collected the outburst of numerous first mountain citizens. Among the angriest is Gianfranco Tanari, mayor of Zocca, the birthplace of Vasco Rossi. "You who are coming to our territory to open the second house do you think you are not being seen? I have been receiving reports since Friday," he wrote on Facebook. Tanari also reports an increased influx to supermarkets, indicating that many people have arrived.