SUMMER AND PANDEMIC IN ASCOLI PICENO

By Larry & Arlene on Sep 6, 2020 in Blog | 4 comments

SUMMER AND PANDEMIC IN ASCOLI PICENO A pandemic, like anything unwelcome and unanticipated, has a way of upsetting how we go about our lives. We haven’t posted much for a while. It isn’t that the process of reflecting on what has been happening wasn’t going on. The problem has been, not knowing how to say anything coherent about it. With the last Blog entry this Spring, it had become evident a worldwide viral contagion, a pandemic, was in process of making radical changes to all our lives. The ground under us was suddenly becoming very unfamiliar. And with it, confidence eroded in the ability to make viable plans. Apprehension of the unknown, replaced a capacity for positive anticipation. An awareness was  forced on us of the fragile nature of life. A deeper perception of our vulnerabilities has been an understanding we were not well prepared to confront. The initial stages of viral contagion began to spread more rapidly than world-wide health resources were able to adequately understand and mount an effective response. Italy was caught off guard. Earlier mass gatherings in northern Italy, at a critical time in the infection cycle, resulted in serious public health issues. Although currently, that situation is under much better control. The Province of Ascoli Piceno, where we live, is in the Marche Region. This area is a more rural and self-sufficient part of Italy, less densely populated than the more highly commercial, globally interactive north of the country. We often use the phrase, off the beaten track, to refer to this area. During a pandemic, that factor appears to have become a valuable asset. The governing authorities of the Marche Region were among the first in Italy to take appropriate, decisive action to reduce the potential spread of the viral contagion. The result has been, this Province has had one of the lower viral infection and mortality rates compared to much of Italy. As of this writing, we continue to be in that more favorable position. At the time of the last Blog entry, we had already been in an enforced ‘lock down’ restricting social interaction. The initial very restrictive lockdown lasted the better part of three months. That was followed by some...