February the 22nd 2020, The corona virus outbreak started to gain momentum as it was spreading throughout the northern regions of Italy, by the 2nd of March the government had quarantined over 16 million people overnight in Milan and consequently the region of Lombardy. Apart from those that had already caught wind of the news and had fled south, I remained trapped in my town Varese about 40km north of Milan. The only reason you could leave your house was for medical goods or food. You were banned from exercises, fresh air and all things I would call ‘life’. Police patrolled our streets with weapons and would fine anyone who came outside for any other reason up to 3000 euros. Within a week Lombardy had become a police state, this instant lockdown response shocked the world and even more so when the lockdown spread from Lombardy to the entire country just 1 week after.
When I found myself amongst a global pandemic, and also in the epicenter…what should I do? It’s in my nature to be a nomad, I’ve spent my life traveling, climbing, just being in nature is an important part of my life. Dealing with the constraints of lockdown in a single room without a garden over a 3 month period can definitely do some internal/mental damage. I would ask myself what I was enjoying about the time without work, without friends and family and without the ability to do sport. I can say the biggest positive was slowing down, breaking that mind crushing cycle of the rat race, wake, work, eat, sleep and repeat. Spending time barefoot is something important, as a child my mum would struggle to put shoes on me. I always needed to feel the ground beneath me, shoes are not a necessity. Meditation and self-reflection was a big part of my healing process, and not to forget cooking and planting new plants to make my room a little jungle haven. I was given a coffee plant and my battle to keep it from dying was really a symbol that reflected my personal battle throughout quarantine. I’m a teacher here in Italy, I often feel maternal towards my students and this feeling of ‘need to nurture’ as an act is something that carried me through the emotions of lockdown. Spending time with my plants and nurturing them daily was a powerful tool to keep my mind happy.
This photo was taken the day we were released from the lockdown, the first thing I did was run to the mountains! As you can see with open arms I embraced the earth once more! The emotions on this day ran high with being barefoot outside again, feet in the soil surrounded by the stunning landscapes of Italy and Switzerland was euphoric. With overcoming the first little mountain I didn’t feel hunger or fatigue, just pure endless energy so I continued to the second. The one I’m standing on is looking over ‘Sacro Monte’ meaning sacred mountain in italian. A sacred place where I often spend my time, on that day I felt liberated, free from the government’s stringent confinements and finally able to get rid of all that trapped energy I had in my body. I was finally reunited with mother nature. Many people say to me, it’s so dangerous that you climb or walk so far on your own, my reply will always be that I have never felt safer when I’m in the arms of nature and as long as you respect it you will always be safe. A piece of pure radical joy I never expected to have in my life was to be faced with the circumstances of a pandemic, the most devastating time for Italy as a country, broke the cycle and gave me a new view on life for which I will forever be grateful for. I hope we all learn as a community to slow down and be thankful for clearer skies, cleaner air and the welcoming of more wildlife due to less pollution.
Season Zero 
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