Five years have passed exactly— for some, it feels like many more, for others, it feels like just yesterday. Italy had already been watching images coming from China for weeks, with deserted cities due to the lockdown, and no one imagined it could happen to us, that a pandemic could take 197,000 Italians.

Life went on as usual: the Sanremo Festival had just ended, Donald Trump was still president of the United States, and the Carnival of Venice, one of the country’s most beloved traditions, with its colors and magic, was in full swing. Until, suddenly, everything stopped.