The alarming trend of rising cases hits Italy

 Edited BY


G P Kennedy


Ellie - Milan, Italy


Hope everyone reading this is in a safe place, physically and emotionally. It is a scary moment of time around the world, Italy is no exception, unfortunately. We bore the heaviest wave of the pandemic in the spring, due to unpreparedness and surprise Now it seems that another lockdown is coming. It is happening in France, the UK, and Spain. In Italy, of all places, lessons learned were quickly forgotten.



 

So, last week, with the consciousness that our carefree time will soon be over, we took a walk along the Olona Valley, on what used to be a railway serving industries and connecting Milan with Switzerland directly. That railway is long gone, but the tracks are now a bike path and the carcasses of old factories still remain. What a reminder of the precariousness of life.

 





You see, the former factories, most significantly this amazing paper mill that is now collapsing and off-limits, are now a photographic attraction, but only now are they appreciated for their beauty. When they were alive, they were just functional profit-making machines. Their demise is what makes them seem beautiful. I wonder which contemporary issues will seem romantic and chic over time.

 







After our walk, we stopped by a local pub where, in order to be welcomed, we had to submit to temperature measuring, name, and phone number recording as well as the cold weather of the outdoor seating.

 









As I was walking home, I picked a few berries that I needed for a lumen photo-printing project: it's a mail art exchange with a friend that was aiming at connecting artists through space and experiences. Only later did I learn that the plant is phytolacca, an invasive species that, on top of that, is toxic.  One of those plants that take over available land on the margins and produces poison out of it. What a metaphor for the times - or at least for our participation in the ecosystem.

 







An anesthesiologist friend of mine, who works in the hospital of our province's main city, told me that things are not looking good for her and her colleagues. Medical professionals are losing morale, first of all, because they now know what they are facing, but the preparations over the summer were not sufficient at any level. Watch this space for more news next week. I may have something more to report in terms of health. And please, keep safe, wear a mask, and protect the health workers.

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