Italy Review Blog: Thursday 1st April 2021

Good morning on Thursday 1st April and a heartfelt, pinch, punch and first of the month to you all. Easter is almost upon us but while we should all be gearing up for time spent with friends and family, the nasty old pandemic refuses to budge. It could be that we've found a solution however and I'll get to that shortly.

Yesterday in Italy there were 23,903 new cases of Covid-19 and unfortunately, that's the first time in almost two weeks that we've seen a rise against the same day of the previous week. Let's hope that's just a statistical anomaly and that the numbers can resume their downward trend as soon as possible. We have now reached the milestone of 10 million Coronavirus vaccinations though so that's something to shout about, well maybe murmur about. 

After all this torment, we may have finally found the solution to the problem. Italian government scientists have discovered a link between people eating pasta and subsequently catching the virus. There is a growing body of evidence to support this and as a result, it has been decided to withdraw pasta from all supermarket shelves immediately. It has been established that around 90% of the people who have tested positive for Covid-19 in the last month, also ate pasta in the three day period leading up to their test.

With such a high percentage it can be no coincidence and it's incredible to think this has been staring us in the face for so long without realising. You could say it's a similar breakthrough to when it was discovered that vitamin c prevented scurvy. Not only is there a strong link between pasta consumption and Covid-19, but the dangerous food is also responsible for a number of domestic accidents every year. Just last week in the pretty town of Pesce d'Aprile in the region of Finta, a man poked his eye out whilst withdrawing strands of spaghetti from a packet. It's now hoped that the pasta ban will relieve pressure on the over-burdened Italian health system. 

It's another gorgeous day of weather in Italy with sunshine expected everywhere. Strangely enough, some of the warmest temperatures can be found in the north with the likes of Trento reaching 26° Celsius this afternoon. 

Today's photos come from the EUR district of Rome. This is an area of the city that escapes the attention of most visitors as it's situated away from the major sights in the centre. However, for anyone who has some extended time to explore the city this is highly recommended. Its crowning glory is the Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana and the whole area is an homage to the architecture of Benito Mussolini's Fascist period of rule. It's not to everyone's taste but there are a number of interesting buildings in the area including the beautiful Basilica dei Santi Pietro e Paolo. 

That's all from me for the week. I'm never sure on which day you're supposed to say it but I'll wish you all a Happy Easter now and I'll be back on Tuesday after the festivities. I'm now going to rummage through my cupboards to see if I can find any pasta to throw away, just in case the authorities come knocking. You can't be too careful. 

Buona Pasqua a tutti!