I had thought of visiting Venice in February

I had thought of visiting Venice in February, the time of year that, my research says, has the least number of tourists.  So, the prospect of seeing Piazza San Marco without quite as many bodies in it was tempting.  But, we went to Maine in October, vacation time is a bit slim, so we didn't go after all. 

Now, coronavirus is there.  Piazza San Marco is empty.  I wanted to go to Milan as well.  In both cities, museums have closed.  Hotels, restaurants are empty. Part of me wants to go ahead, buy a ticket, take a chance, just with the prospect of seeing the cities without the crowds. But, the sensible part of me says no.  The State Department has issued a travel advisory for Italy.  It isn't worth the risk.

I pray we won't see a repeat of the horrifying flu pandemic after World War I, when millions died, or the pandemic of 1957. Yes, we have modern medicine. But, it's a virus. Medicine is more limited in that case than if it were bacterial.  

Here, a painting of Piazza San Marco by Pierre-Auguste Renoir. I hope we can go one day.  Perhaps next year....

For information on the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918, here is Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_flu  
 

And for info on the Asian Flu pandemic of 1957-58, here is the CDC. www.cdc.gov/flu/pandemic-resources/1957-1958-pandemic.html