Millions of people began returning to some semblance of their former lives Monday, going for walks in parks as Italy began to loosen its lockdown. Italy imposed a 60-day lockdown to fight one of the world’s worst coronavirus outbreaks.
Restaurants, bakeries and cafes opened — though just for takeout service — with a mix of anxiety and excitement. Factories, construction sites and wholesale commerce also began to reopen.
Here is a quick glance as Italy flickers back to life and citizens enjoy lighter restrictions on movement.
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People walk off a train after arriving in Milan on Monday as Italy began easing its coronavirus restrictions. (Luca Bruno / Associated Press)
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Simona Papagno prepares food for home delivery at her Criollo ice cream and coffee bar in Rome. (Cecilia Fabiano / Associated Press)
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A customer lowers her face mask to sip coffee outside a bar in Rome on Tuesday. (Alessandra Tarantino / Associated Press)
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Masked workers prepare pizzas for home delivery at the Caputo pizzeria in Naples, Italy, on Monday. (Andrew Medichini/AP)
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Commuters crowd the platform after arriving by train in Milan on Monday. (Claudio Furlan / Associated Press)
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A worker at the Calzaturificio shoe factory in Castelnuovo Vomano in central Italy has his temperature checked before clocking in Monday. (Domenico Stinellis / Associated Press)
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Two customers have coffee outside the Cracco restaurant, which opened for take-away in Milan, Italy, on Monday. (Luca Bruno / Associated Press)
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A woman pulls her cart behind her at the outdoor Porta Palazzo market in Turin, Italy, which reopened Monday. (Marco Alpozzi / Associated Press)
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Stores were open and shoppers were buying in Naples on Monday. (Andrew Medichini / Associated Press)
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Workers wear masks and are separated by plastic partitions at the Sevel auto plant in Atessa in central Italy on Monday. (Cecilia Fabiano/AP)
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Workers at the Calzaturificio shoe factory in Castelnuovo Vomano in central Italy return to work on Monday. (Domenico Stinellis/AP)
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Workers returned to work at the Calzaturificio shoe factory in Castelnuovo Vomano in central Italy on Monday. (Domenico Stinellis / Associated Press)
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A woman walks amid flowers in a just-reopened park in Milan, Italy, on Monday. (Antonio Calanni / Associated Press)
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People stroll in a park that reopened after several weeks of closure in Milan, Italy, on Monday. (Antonio Calanni / Associated Press)
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Customers enjoy a coffee outside a bar in Rome on Tuesday. (Alessandra Tarantino / Associated Press)