In March 2020, Italy became the epicenter of COVID-19’s first devastating wave outside Asia. Within weeks, the country’s vibrant piazzas and iconic landmarks stood empty as the nation entered Europe’s first strict lockdown. Photojournalist Laura Lezza captured this surreal transformation through her lens.
The Sudden Silence
- February 21, 2020: Italy reports its first COVID death in Lombardy
- March 9: All sporting events canceled in the football-obsessed nation
- March 10: Nationwide lockdown begins with “Tutti a casa!” (“Everyone stay home!”) order
Lezza recalls the eerie atmosphere: “I went to see what the end of the world looked like. People queued at supermarkets like chess pieces – two meters apart.”
Iconic Images of a Pandemic
One striking photo shows a sanitation worker in full PPE disinfecting the empty Piazza dei Miracoli in Pisa on March 17. The normally crowded tourist site stood abandoned, with only police visible in the distance.
“The city sanitized everything – streets, monuments, even the air felt dangerous,” says Lezza. “As a photographer, I had to reinvent my work. People became afraid of each other.”
From Carnival to Crisis
Just weeks before lockdown, Lezza photographed vibrant carnival celebrations. By early March, she captured what she feared might be “the last photo of people hugging” – football ultras embracing after a match, unaware of the looming catastrophe.
“China hadn’t prepared us for this,” reflects Lezza. “The trauma of being Europe’s first COVID epicenter remains unprocessed.”
These images document Italy’s jarring transition from normalcy to a “war-like” reality that would soon sweep across the world.
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