Only a week ago, life in many parts of Italy was carrying on. Friends meeting for an aperitivo, a kiss on each cheek, a slap on the back.
Days later, everything had changed. It was only last Tuesday when the entire country was locked down, following on from measures in the north to contain the deadly coronavirus, Covid-19, that has so far killed more than 1,800 Italians.
But despite the initial explosion of cases in the north, people in other parts of the country were slow to adapt their behaviour. "I know Ireland is probably about 10 days or two weeks behind Italy.
To be honest I felt two weeks ago, and even last week, I was kind of complacent about this. I kept thinking it's in the north of Italy, it’s not necessarily going to affect us,"