Image of Restaurant Owner's Pain a Symbol of Italy's Desperation

Italy, Europe's first country affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, has provided many iconic images of the year-long health emergency – from an intensive care nurse asleep at her station, to grandmothers beating pots and pans on their balconies, the images of Italian people suffering and persevering have been iconic snaps of a crisis that has touched millions of people across the world. 

As the third wave of lockdowns in Italy forces thousands of restaurants, bars and cafes across the country to close once again, it is apt that this image, of a chef and owner hunched in despair, has quickly become a symbol of the hardship faced by the country's hospitality industry. 

Camilla Moccia, the owner of Bistrot della Pasticciona, a small trattoria in Ostia near Rome, was photographed by her mother when the news broke that her region would go to ‘level red’ lockdown, forcing her to once again close her doors. The photo went viral in Italy as the exhaustion felt by the Italian people country is amplified, and the impact to their economy continues. Vaccine roll out in Europe and Italy is behind the UK and the US, and Italians are experiencing anxiety about their futures, particularly those working in hospitality.

"It was a moment of despair,” said Moccia, speaking exclusively to Fine Dining Lovers. “We were still in the yellow zone, but we had no reservations and rumours began to circulate that we would soon be moving to the red zone. I needed to gather the thoughts and above all the strength to face that moment and the ones I imagined would arrive. I did not expect it to go viral, but I am happy that it happened because I would like to spread my message as much as possible that it is certainly despondent, but also to make our voices heard to those who at the moment are not helping us to be able to reopen when everything will be finished."

Lazio had been in status ‘yellow’ for a long time, so it has suffered less than other regions from the alternation of closed and open zones that, for example, Lombardy has experienced. "But this closure was foreseeable, we had feared it for some time, not like this overnight, not without concrete help."

"I am a positive and optimistic person, I consider myself strong and capable of reacting to difficulties and I still believe in it. This is my message for all restaurateurs like me who feel a lack of confidence in the future. We must resist and assert ourselves, ask and demand the necessary help, and never give in to despair. If we do not bring out our fighting side it is a disaster, for us and for everyone."

She has decided to close the restaurant and not to provide a delivery service. Her fresh pasta dishes could not be fully enjoyed if delivered. "We thought of organising a reservation service for fresh pasta. It seems to us the best way to get our passion to our customers' homes."

Moccia told us that this choice is the most convenient for them in terms of out-of-pocket costs. "I think it is better to work to the minimum terms rather than organise a classic delivery without the certainty of being able to recover expenses."

She appreciates that the drama of this moment is certainly the spread of a disease like Covid, but also "the difficulties that many families are experiencing, left without work due to businesses forced to close. I don't know if I would order takeaway in a restaurant, in a moment like this, maybe I would save my money. I reflect on this, I put myself in the shoes of ordinary people and I cannot help but consider this aspect as having a direct impact on my business. That's why I thought it was better to manage my resources in terms of raw materials, costs and even labour."

"Despite this terrible year we have lived, I remain optimistic and I am sure that as soon as we have passed this phase we will be able to resume working as before, even better than before. Fortunately the trattoria has no employees, the family management is allowing us to manage costs in a different way, certainly more serene than if we had had to leave someone at home. It would have been atrocious."

"From all this I learned the importance of enjoying the little moments, of what you have. But I am sure and confident that everything will be as it once was."

It's not the first time a photo of a chef sitting in the kitchen has struck a chord with the world - the image below went viral a couple of years ago and sparked a huge debate about kitchen culture.