CHIARA
Hi Everyone! This is Chiara, from New York City. It's been more than two weeks since I started my quarantine from my new apt in Astoria, Queens. Besides cleaning every single corner of this apartment, I fill my days with all the activities I have dreamed of doing but never found the time. I took my dusty books off the shelves and I plunged into a classic Neapolitan Novel; I unrolled my yoga mat and discovered fitness workouts available online (for free, of course), cursing the trainers every time they jump too much. Next, I borrowed some FABIANO canvas from my flatmate (she is a "abstractish" painter, as she defined herself) and pretended to be the modern and female version of Van Gogh and, of course, I talked everyday with my family on WhatsApp telling them what I prepared for lunch or dinner! Yes, because cooking is becoming the best Quarantine Boredom-Killer of all time! The kitchen became my stage. I now spend as much time in the kitchen as I once did in Latin clubs... except now I am not dancing Salsa, I am cooking SALSA! And, of course, thanks to Magnifico I am getting more and more addicted to pans, serving spoons, spices, veggies, rice, pasta. Below, is one of my creations: Gnocchi with asparagus and Redoro Extra Virgin Olive Oil!
ARIANNA
Hey there!
Its day #ihavelostcount of quarantine here in Rome and I’m trying to stay positive every day and active as much as I can!
My job at Magnifico totally helps me mark each day. I feel so lucky for it, especially right now.
I wake up usually in the late morning because I love to sleep in the AM and I’m a night owl so, during these times, I can definitely treat myself a little by not putting the classic morning alarm lol.
After I wake up, I instantly go to the kitchen to have a nice fulfilling breakfast. Usually a big bowl of almond milk with cereals or I dip some too many cookies in the milk lol. I know its not the healthiest of breakfasts but it makes me happy.
Afterwords I freshen up and dress with activewear so I’m always comfortable and I don’t have excuses when its time to workout a bit.
But first, I go back to the kitchen, make sure is clean and no one is there, and I start working!
I cook 1 or 2 dishes almost everyday for our Magnifico’s contents and recipes. I love to cook pasta, but sometimes I make rice or second courses and after I have fun taking loooots of pictures of it!
It’s hard not to eat everything when I finish but I’m learning to just taste what I make and leave the majority of it for my parent’s lunch.
Meanwhile I clean all the mess that I made while cooking and I rest a bit, usually chatting with friends.
At this point I can’t really avoid working out lol so I do some exercises for about 20 minutes and then I go up to the roof of my building and jump rope. That is something new for me and I’m really enjoying doing it, especially when its a nice and sunny day, which fortunately in Rome is almost every day. When I’m tired enough of jumping rope I usually stick around in the roof for a bit and enjoy the sun.
When I go back downstairs I take a short shower and thats when I usually sit at my desk and work at editing all the pictures or videos I made earlier and I create the contents for Magnifico, checking on every platform, writing the recipes and posting new things on its social media.
Sometimes before dinner I have an Aperitivo with some friends in video call, having a drink and sharing thoughts about how our day went, the situation we are living in but also some fun&small talk.
For dinner, I sit at the table with my parents and we eat together a nice meal usually made of fish or meat and vegetables (too much pasta at lunch time lol). It’s a nice moment because this is something that we normally didn’t do anymore but this situation definitely brought us closer and made us want to take a moment to share together as a family during each day.
After dinner I make some others calls with friends and I watch a movie with my mom.
As a night owl I go back to work sometimes later at night or maybe I watch one more movie, it depends on how I feel.
Happy to share with you my simple quarantine routine :)
FEDERICO
Greetings from Rome! It’s been several weeks now since the quarantine began and, even if it was difficult sometimes, I must say that I am getting used to these new rhythms of life. It's not just about all the shops closed on the streets, everything has really changed! It is no longer possible to go around freely as before, but I am sure you know what I am talking about. Fortunately, the work I do does not strictly require my physical presence in the office, so I can do smart working. However, it was not easy to get used to it: at the beginning I thought it would be fantastic to be able to work from home and start some activities all while having breakfast. But, my optimism changed on the second day: I was already missing going to the office. Staying at home 24/7, with few exceptions due to shopping, became unbearable. In addition, I had to rethink my hobbies to find something I could do inside to make my days go faster. During the quarantine, I finally saw some of the TV series that my friends recommended to me for years, such as Money Heist, which I watched in the original language to improve my Spanish. However, spending the days always in front a computer to work or watching TV series and news is not healthy. So, I am also reading a couple of books on online marketing to take my eyes off the screens and put them on something more productive. I must recognize that not all evils come to hurt! Spending so much time at home has allowed me to have time to cook and being able to prepare lunch instead of warming it up as I usually do in the office. I made some good recipes that I didn’t make for a long time, including linguine with tuna and tomato, fusilli with pesto, lasagna Bolognese and several savory pies that I love to eat when I am at home. I hope everything can be back to normal soon. Greetings from Rome!
