Stranded on a tiny Italian island, a cancer researcher grew increasingly alarmed to hear that one, and then three more visitors had fallen ill with COVID-19. Paola Muti braced for a rapid spread of the coronavirus to the 800 closely-knit islanders, many of whom she knows well.

Her mother was born on Giglio Island and she often stays at the family home with its charming view of the sea through the parlor's windows. But days passed and none of Giglio’s islanders developed any COVID-19 symptoms even though the conditions seemed favorable for the disease to spread like wildfire.