VENICE, Italy — After three months of near-total lockdown, Venice appears unusually quiet - and clean.
A few Venetians wander around St. Mark's square, but no gondolas sailing on the canals, only a few boats and water buses.
Venetians retaking their space, both from the coronavirus and from tourists that have famously overrun it, are being offered a unique opportunity to test the resilience of one of the world's most fragile cities.
The coronavirus put a halt Italy's most-visited city, restricting the flow of 3 billion euros (approx. 3.25 billion US dollars) in annual tourism-related revenue. Promised government assistance has been predictably slow to arrive.
During the lockdown, Venice canals were virtually clear of boats, leaving the water transparent enough that fish could be seen.
Since the traffic of ferry-boats, motor boats and big ships has been strongly reduced both in the Venice lagoon and in the city canals, Venetians had the pleasant surprise to see the waters of their canals turning from muddy to crystal clean, with the fish and the bottom clearly visible.
Swans also returned to the canals.
Several decades have passed since Venetians were used to swimming in the lagoon water, mainly because of the intensified boat traffic in the canals and the increasing volume of giant ships, both commercial and touristic, stopping at the Terminal Venice Passengers dock.
For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia.
The vast majority of people recover from the new virus.
According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover.