REPORTAGE
>> For ten days, our reporter travels through Southern Europe to understand how our European neighbors are living their deconfinement, the reopening of borders, the approach of holidays, but also to take the pulse of the local economy. A trip from Italy to Greece, passing through the Balkans and the Adriatic coast. For the second stage of his European "deconfinement tour", Jean-Sébastien Soldaini traveled to Milan, in Lombardy, one of the regions most affected by the pandemic on the Old Continent.
I discovered Milan the day after the end of traffic restrictions between Italian regions. At first glance, the city is very lively. Heavy traffic and saturated parking in the center. But looking closely, I realize that many stores are closed. The Milanese however came out of confinement in early May, but activity has not yet resumed everywhere.
What is striking is the contrast with the atmosphere, the day before, in Ventimiglia, where the Italians were more relaxed on the wearing of masks and respect for distances.
>> READ - LOGBOOK - How Southern Europe is experiencing deconfinement: first step, Ventimiglia
Masks on all faces, sanitary measures in each establishment
It is very different in Milan: the mask is almost on all faces. People stand at a distance. The scale of the epidemic in the Lombard capital seems to have marked minds and behavior more than elsewhere.
And if the Milanese plan to relax, there is always something to call them to order. We take you for example the temperature at the entrance of hotels and restaurants, each establishment offers hydro-alcoholic gel on your arrival.
The "unusually empty" Piazza del Duomo
An atmosphere that does not necessarily encourage you to go out at the end of the day, to stroll on the few open terraces for an aperitif. The Piazza del Duomo is, according to the owner of the newsstand, "unusually empty". "At 6 p.m., attendance is the same as at 8 a.m. in normal times."
Companies in great difficulty
A few kilometers from the center of Milan, in the city of Cormano, Giovanni Vita's business is trying to resist the economic crisis at all costs. This Italian runs Tecnolegno, a luxury design and carpentry company. "The investments have been maintained, the wages too. The designers have continued their work," he says behind small round glasses, while the rest of his face is hidden by a surgical mask.
But in reality, he finally admits: "90% of the activity disappeared for 3 months ..." Almost no part left the workshops. So he will consider himself happy if at the end of 2020, his turnover reaches 10 million euros, half the usual income.
Giovanni Vita, the manager of the Tecnolegno company near Milan, is trying to relaunch his company. (Photo @ Europe1 / Jean-Sébastien Soldaini)
"Will buyers be there?"
"It will be hard," he admits. "Because I work with all the major international fairs. All the major exhibitions are canceled. And even if some come to reopen, will buyers be there?", He worries. Not sure, because listening to him, when he talks with the other entrepreneurs in Lombardy, "nobody seems to bet on a recovery before October".
Usually, its customers are prestigious brands. Its workshops design and manufacture wooden furniture for Ferrari, Dolce e Gabbana, Prada. "In 64 years of existence, this company has never needed a salesperson. We are walking thanks to our reputation", assures Giovanni Vita. But these brands, which are also its own windows, are absent from the screen which allows it to see the progress of orders. Nothing. On each line: "Suspended production". Difficult to envisage a start of recovery while the transalpine market is still at a standstill.
Reinventing yourself to survive the economic crisis
To cope with the crisis, Giovanni Vita seeks to reinvent himself. His latest production is a small structure in the shape of animals: a cub or a panda which offers children ... hydro-alcoholic gel. A way "to teach them barrier gestures in schools". We are far from the unique pieces, design models, that Tecnolegno is used to supply. As for the leaders of Italian luxury, they seem to be light years away.