“They’re a bit surprised at first, some fear they won’t be able to use it, but then they realise it’s very easy and they’re happy,” said owner Maria Chiara di Felice, 37.
Chefs wear masks, gloves and safety goggles as they fry “carciofi alla Romana”, or artichokes Roman-style, to perfection. Tables have been reduced by almost half and re-arranged to be at least one metre apart, with stickers of the restaurant’s logo dotted in rectangles on the floor to keep them there.The neighbourhood doesn’t bustle with tourists like before the outbreak but di Felice is optimistic.
“My hopes are probably those shared by everyone – which is that even if very gradually, I hope that we can come back to living, in some way at least, the life we lived before. Nothing more than this,” she said. -