My Italian Lockdown: A Story of Hope and Gratitude

Louree Maya - Founder of Kynder travel

Louree Maya, founder of conscious travel platform Kynder, shares her own experience of what it’s like being in lockdown in Italy. It’s an insight into the everyday lessons learned when life in a small village is suddenly turned upside down. A heart warming read that we can all relate to, Louree shares how this has inspired her to practice more gratitude in life.

My Italian Lockdown

I live in a picturesque medieval hilltop village in Tuscany. It’s a beautiful small village with only about 500 inhabitants. We’ve been in lockdown for five weeks now and our streets are eerily empty and quiet. But since we’ve been self-isolating, the ancient buildings and the cobbled streets somehow seem more magnificent than ever. I think I took everything for granted before, but this new reality has renewed my love for Montefollonico.

When the coronavirus pandemic started, I didn’t think it would spread to the rest of the world, let alone our tiny village! As Italy became more and more impacted, the realization hit me that I wouldn’t be able to get to my parents in the US. Panic set in. I was also deeply concerned about my husband’s parents still working in essential businesses. Every day still, I pray for the safety of our parents.

It has been an emotional rollercoaster for me since the beginning of the virus’s spread to Italy. In February, my husband and I had been out at multiple large wine events before we knew better. So for two weeks after that, we wondered if we had been infected. We could only wait and see. The uncertainty of not knowing was hard to deal with. I became a bit of a hypochondriac, and I still am five weeks into our lockdown!

I desperately miss my loved ones, but we speak every day to support each other through this. I miss my community and even people I don’t know! I’m a social person and hospitality is my life purpose, so I love being with people, especially in hospitality settings. I miss the togetherness. I derive so much joy from welcoming guests to our home, sharing meals and stories, and exploring the beauty of Tuscany together. I dream of the day when this will again be possible.

Empty streets of Montefollonico, Toscana,italy

A Day in My Life

I spend my days taking care of our four kitties, cleaning the house, slow cooking, working, and socializing virtually. It’s not so different than before, especially as I work from home anyway — but I do devote a lot more time to connecting with loved ones and taking care of myself. Two things I will definitely commit to continuing after we’re through this.

Within our village and our local commune, we are grateful for the kindness and support of our local government and our small businesses. Our comune keeps us informed throughout the day of all the news and developments and our local market and pharmacy have been taking very good care of our community. We’re so fortunate that we can access food and medical essentials easily. Our local market takes orders by phone and we can then pick up our grocery bags or even request delivery to our door. We do place online orders for pet supplies though and the American comfort food items I’ve been missing to help me through this period.

Our local non-profit associations have also been keeping our community connected. They have organized virtual activities for kids and posted nostalgic photos on social media to help people feel less lonely by remembering precious shared memories.

Hilltop view from Montefollonico

Not Business As Usual

Like most people around the world, my professional life has also been affected. As the founder of Kynder, a hospitality and travel platform, we have come to a bit of a stand still as travel is restricted at this time. We are however in preparation to launch our new website and will be ready to support our hospitality companies on the other side of this pandemic.

Our membership of independent hospitality companies has been immensely impacted and we’re doing our best to be a source of support for them. Several of our members offer online ordering, such as SweetE Organic and The Xocolate Bar in California, so there are still ways to support small businesses through this. These challenging circumstances have just strengthened my resolve to spotlight kind and eco hospitality establishments around the world.

Hospitality is so special to me and is actually part of my heritage as a descendant of inn and pub owners in England. I have also had the pleasure of working front and back of house in hotels, restaurants, and wineries. I truly believe hospitality is a noble profession and that is what Kynder celebrates. There is many a day that our lives have been touched by the kindness of those who work in hospitality - in hotels, cafes, coffee shops and of course kind proprietors too! They are so deserving of the spotlight.

We were scheduled to open our own medieval bed and breakfast Borgo di Sotto this Spring. But now we must wait and see when we’ll be able to open our doors to welcome guests. We were so excited to meet travellers from near and far and introduce them to our sweet village — but we remain hopeful this can happen this year!

Pretty cobblestone streets

The Lessons Learned

Through all the uncertainty, there are so many positive stories and so many heroes to cherish. There clearly is so much love in the world. It’s been heartening to see Italians uniting across balconies with music, song, and lively conversation. The streets may be empty but the spirit lives in each kind-hearted human and every connected community.

Our shared humanity has been brought back into focus. We see that we are all connected. The golden rules of compassion, empathy, love, support, and connection are the best of what humans have to give and we are now, more than ever, called to honor and live these values.

We see that in the grand scheme of things, we are guests here on this planet. We’re not invincible, we’re not omnipotent. Mother Earth and our natural ecology need and deserve our respect. It’s time that as a species we understand this.

It feels so unnatural to be in lockdown. We experience the associated stress in varying ways and we find healing through different avenues, but I’d really just urge everyone to take care of themselves. Put yourself first more. Read books, be artistic, do a Spring clean including a digital detox! Do the things you always sacrificed before. Sleep in, allow yourself the freedom, flexibility, and patience to just BE and allow these things for others too.

Life After Lockdown

In this present moment I am deeply grateful to be surrounded by nature, for a full plate and a full belly, for a roof over my head, for loved ones recovering, and for all the beautiful humans connecting with us all around the world.

When this is all over, and I’m allowed, I’m going to hug everyone I see! This time in isolation has reminded me how I must move forward from here. I plan to go bigger and bolder than before, with less fear. I will be me more. I will continue to create a beautiful, supportive Kynder community. And I will help people feel that they matter, and that they are loved.

Sometimes it takes the darkest of days to bring truth and beauty to light.

For me, the true beauty of Italy and my love for humanity has never been more crystal clear.

My greatest hope is that we’ll never forget what it was like to be separated — and cherish each and every moment that we are together.

Kynder is a travel platform with kind, eco-conscious, community-loving values, featuring hospitality companies that care about you, their staff, their community, and the planet. Click here to find out more about eco-kind hospitality