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Italians strolled in the park, grabbed takeaway coffees and paid their respects to the astonishing number of dead as the first and longest lockdown in Europe was eased.
Key points:
- In Italy, 49 per cent more people died in March than the average over the past five years
- There were 25,354 excess deaths registered from February 20 to March 31, at the height of Italy's outbreak
- Italy is planning to test 150,000 with a pilot antibody and roll out a mobile contact-tracing application
Greece, Portugal and Belgium also wound back some virus restrictions on Monday, with Britain poised to soon overtake Italy as the country with the most confirmed COVID-19 dead in Europe.
Officially, 4.4 million Italians were allowed to return to construction, factory and manufacturing jobs deemed to be low risk for contagion.
Traffic increased in city centres, commuter and long-distance trains sold out and more people ventured out after restrictions on movement eased for the first time since Italy locked down on March 11.
"We are being careful, trying not to do too many things, but at least we are finally outside and breathing some fresh air," said Daniele Bianchi, as he strolled through Rome's Villa Borghese park.
Across the Tiber in Villa Sciara, Valerio Pileri stood by the stroller as his 2-year-old grandson scampered in the grass.
"He was going around and around again on the terrace with his bike, but it's not the same as the villa," Mr Pileri said.
Protective masks were ubiquitous — even the Swiss Guards started wearing them at the Vatican — and were required on public transport and inside cafes, restaurants and gelato shops that opened for takeaway service.
But not all businesses that could reopen did, a sign that some owners decided it wasn't worth it to serve a handful of customers or hadn't managed to implement new social-distancing and hygiene standards.
And any newfound sense of freedom was clouded by the first comprehensive reckoning of just how great a toll COVID-19 had taken.
The Italian National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT), Italy's national statistics agency, reported on Monday that 49 per cent more people died in March than the average over the past five years, with 25,354 excess deaths registered from February 20 to March 31 at the height of Italy's outbreak.
Since only 13,700 of those deaths were confirmed positive for the virus, Italy's official COVID-19 toll of 29,000 is likely off by more than 10,000.
The other deaths likely involved infected people who were never tested or people who died as an indirect result of the pandemic because the hospital system collapsed in the north, ISTAT said.
For the first time in two months, Italians were able to honour some of those dead with funerals, though attendance was limited to 15 people.
Cemeteries also reopened for visits, with mourners told to keep their distances from one another.
"I feel a bit out of my comfort zone but my daughter is here, and as soon as the cemetery opened I came," said Paola Lazzaro as she visited her daughter's grave at Rome's Flaminio cemetery.
In Milan, passengers on sold-out south-bound trains had their temperatures taken before they boarded, and commuter Gabriella Fusca said she felt safe making the trip to Rome.
"All the distances were respected. Everybody was wearing face masks," she said.
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Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala praised the commuters, saying access to the metro had to be blocked just a few times and some buses had to skip stops because they were too full to take on new passengers.
Luxury carmaker Ferrari relaunched production on Monday, after purchasing 800 blood tests for Ferrari employees and their families to use on a voluntary basis.
The company is also developing its own contact-tracing system.
Italy is also planning to test 150,000 with a pilot antibody and roll out a mobile contact-tracing application, but both initiatives are behind schedule and missed the start of the country's economic reboot.
AP
