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So instead, what I thought I\u2019d do is to speak directly with people, both expats and Italians, about the situation on the ground at the moment<\/strong>. I\u2019ve tried to get a good cross-section with regards to geography and role\/job in the daily life of Italy. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n In this episode you heard five stories. I actually spoke with a few more but didn’t want to add any more length to the track. I would like to add a second part to this, and so I will update this page as needed.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n So here they are, three Italians and two expats representing the hardest hit areas of the country. Three of them are directly involved in tourism, and two are not. However, nobody in the country is unaffected by this pandemic. Let’s meet them.<\/p>\n I offer a Tuscan week based in the Chianti Wine Region<\/strong>, where I have been living for the past 12 years, and The Sicily program<\/strong> is based at the Planeta Winery in Menfi. But my true love is creating custom programs for clients. I hope to share my passion and love for Italy through these full immersions in everyday life, where you will feel like a local, not a tourist.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n I have opened a Patreon page, where I will sharing my video cooking demos on the site. You can sign up for the price of a cup of coffee or a glass of wine.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n On Jan. 5, 2014 John Henderson retired after nearly 40 years as a sportswriter, the last 23 with The Denver Post<\/em>, and moved to Rome Jan. 10. It was a one-way ticket. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n At The Denver Post<\/em>, he wrote a traveling food column for eight years called A Moveable Feast<\/em>. Before going to Denver, he worked at the Las Vegas Review-Journal<\/em> from 1980-90 and the Fournier<\/em> Newspapers chain in suburban Seattle from 1979-80. He is originally from Eugene, Oregon.<\/p>\n \u200b<\/p>\n His latest blog article reports on the Coronavirus Lockdown in Italy<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p>\n Contact him at johnhenrome@gmail.com, Facebook<\/a> or Twitter<\/a>.<\/p>\n Lorenzo is an Art Historian and dedicated Tourism Professional. And he’s lucky because he’s been able to transform his passion for the History of Art into his full-time job.<\/p>\n He has a strong educational and professional background, and is always more than willing to share his knowledge with tourists visiting his hometown. I can personally vouch for his expertise, as I was a guest on one of his tours a few years ago. Incredible!<\/p>\n<\/p>\n So, if you are planning to pay a visit to Mantua, you can count on Lorenzo to make your guided tour a day to be remembered!<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Visit him online during this period of lockdown:<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Visit Mantua Website<\/strong><\/a>Lorenzo’s Instagram Page<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Milan is Italy’s busiest city and its economic hub. These days, it seems deserted, which only underscores the secondary effects of this horrible situation. That is to say, the long-term devastation on Italy’s economy, which was already weak. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n Emma is a professional photographer in Milan, and she’s obviously not working at the moment while she’s quarantined inside her house. So even though she has not contracted the virus; even though she’s not in the tourism sector, she is still effected, like everyone else. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n If you check out her Instagram account (below), you’ll see that she does a lot of portrait work. Fashion photography, professional head shots, weddings. So yes, not much work at the moment.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Mafalda Elle – Italian Photographer<\/a><\/p>\n My name is Monica, I am a native Italian from Venice, Italy. I am a Food and Travel blogger <\/strong>talking about <\/strong>Venice, Veneto and Italy, a Culinary guide <\/strong>and a Cooking instructor<\/strong> offering cooking classes and catering with Cook In Venice<\/a>. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n In 2018 I won an Award with The Luxury Travel Guid<\/strong>e<\/strong> for Best Unique Unique Experience in Veneto <\/strong>and also I was included in the Lonely Planet<\/strong> list of Activities to do for Food and Drink in Venice, both as myself and as Cook in Venice with our cooking classes<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Here’s the latest post from her blog (in English) about the current plight of the glassblowers of Murano: Murano’s Broken Glass<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n For perspective, and to learn a lesson from history, experts have been pointing to the 1981 Global Pandemic named “The Spanish Flu. 500 million infected (1\/3 of the global population). Estimated 70 million dead. So if you do the math, the mortality rate was around 14%, which is huge, even compared to coronavirus. Then again this was before the advent of modern medicine, notably antibiotics to treat superimposed infections, which was a major cause of death. <\/p>\n Credit: The Washington Post<\/p>\n Also, most people back then (even public health officials) didn\u2019t understand the importance of hand washing. They DID, however, understand the importance of social distancing and \u201cflattening the curve.\u201d Indeed, the suggests that social distancing is even more important than personal hygiene with regards to limiting the spread<\/strong> of a contagion. You may have already heard the tale of two cities; Philadelphia and Saint Louis, as referenced in this graph by The Washington Post<\/em>. Fast forward to 2020 and swap out Philadelphia for Italy, and Saint Louis for South Korea. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n Now the question being posed to the leader of the Federal Government in the U.S. is, “Two months from now, do you want to look like Italy… or South Korea?” So far, it looks like we’re opting to take the same path as our Italian friends. Alas. <\/p>\n Click the link to check out other episodes and see my list of the best podcasts about Italy<\/a>.<\/p>\nFive Takes on the Coronavirus Crisis in Italy<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Judy Witts Francini – American Expat Cooking in Tuscany<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/judy.jpg\" "\\"judy\\"")
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John Henderson – American Expat Writing in Rome<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/john.jpg\" "\\"john\\"")
<\/span><\/p>\nLorenzo Bonoldi – Art Historian & Tour Guide in Mantua<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/lorenzo.jpg\" "\\"lorenzo\\"")
<\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/patriot-italy-946x946.jpg\" "\\"patriot-italy\\"")
<\/span><\/p>\nEmma Mafalda – Professional Photographer in Milan<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/rita.jpg\" "\\"rita\\"")
<\/span><\/p>\nMonica Cesarato – Culinary Guide in Venice<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/monica.jpg\" "\\"monica\\"")
<\/span><\/p>\nThe Spanish Flu of 1918<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/WP-graphic.png\" "\\"WP")
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