As Dr. Mario Sorlini sits patients down in a vaccination center near the badly affected Italian town of Bergamo, he explains a potential complication of the coronavirus vaccine.

The second dose, he tells patients with terror-stricken faces, will fall on a date during the summer holidays.

“‘But I’ll be in Sardinia then,’” he said some had responded with distress. Others moan about hotel rooms they have already booked. Some, he said, get up and leave.

For months, Italians have hungered for the vaccines that would give them safety, freedom from lockdown and a taste of normal life. After initial pitfalls and hurdles, the vaccination campaign is finally speeding up, but it is heading smack into the summer holidays that are sacred for many Italians and prompting fears among officials that a significant number would rather get away than get vaccinated.

“I am certain that many, after such a hard year, will risk delaying the vaccine” until after the summer holidays, said Renata Tosi, the mayor of Riccione, a beach town that is so identified with summer flings that it lent its name to a recent vacation anthem. That could create a significant danger next fall, Tosi wrote in an open letter to the region’s president.

“The Second Shot Blocks Vacation,” read a headline in Messaggero Veneto, a newspaper in northeastern Italy, echoing concerns in papers, websites and social media accounts across the country.

An estimated 20 million Italians — mostly 40- and 50-somethings — face the prospect of getting their second shots in the middle of July or worse, in the riptide that is the Italian August, which pulls people out of cities and into swelling seaside towns.

To avoid a potentially disastrous summer freeze in the vaccination campaign, and more economic pain, Italy’s regions are urging the government to meet vacationers where they are and offer shots on the beach.

“We want to give the second dose to tourists who are not from Veneto,” Luca Zaia, the president of that region, which includes Venice, told reporters, “and also to foreigners, if they want, we can find a solution for them.” He has led the charge to pressure the government to be more flexible to save the tourism season and to loosen up the rigid regional health system to allow Italians to get vaccinated in sun-and-surf regions far from home.

Others are working on contingency plans. In Lombardy, another northern region, where the former top health official lost his job last year after refusing to call back nurses from Christmas holidays, his replacement has sought to avoid scheduling second doses in August.

The president of the mountainous Piedmont region, in the northwest, has promised flexibility and proposed an arrangement with the seaside region of Liguria that would allow their vacationing residents to swap second doses.

Italy’s new government, led by Prime Minister Mario Draghi, prides itself on pragmatism and is desperate to get the tourism economy moving. Draghi recently announced that Italy would lift quarantines and restrictions on vaccinated international tourists and told them “it’s time to book your holidays in Italy.”

Island paradises like Capri, favored by many foreigners, have accelerated their vaccination campaigns and are now considered COVID-free. But when it comes to Italians, who are themselves still in the process of getting vaccinated during the summer months, the government has sought to strike a balance between openness to innovative ideas and scolding Italians for their spring and summer fever.

“If we do flights of fancy and inventions, I’m not in,” Francesco Paolo Figliuolo, an army general who has been put in charge of Italy’s vaccination effort, said on Tuesday, seeking to throw cold water on plans floated by governors to inoculate vacationing Italians wherever they might go.

Such a policy would most likely disrupt rigid regional databases and the orderly process that has finally started lowering deaths and contagions. Italians, the general said, should plan their vacations around the vaccination appointment near their home. “Whoever is going on vacation should plan according to their appointment,” he said.

Massimiliano Fedriga, president of Italy’s conference of regions, also called the idea of vaccinating vacationing Italians impossible.

“I hope everybody realizes that some places have millions and millions of tourists who will arrive,” he told reporters. “And that it is technically impossible.”

He suggested leaving vacations for a day and then heading back.

But that may be easier said than done, and many have complained that the government is to blame for altering reservations and creating confusion. In an effort to bolster the number of Italians with some protection against the virus, on April 30, Italy allowed an extension of the waiting period between first and second doses of the Pfizer vaccine to 42 days, from 21. Italians receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine have to wait even longer between shots, with those getting the first dose now often having the follow-up coincide with the August abyss.

The result has been a wrenching should-I-stay-or-should-I-go dilemma for Italians who have already planned their summer holidays and are weighing lost deposits against losing their vaccination slots.

Even in a normal year, summer vacation is a serious topic in Italy. For a certain, well-heeled slice of society, summer plans — which often last a full month away from work — are all anyone talks about, starting in about March.

This year, people have sought vacations with such a vengeance that tourism operators have started using the term “revenge travel” to describe the way Italians are trying to get even with the cruel months of lockdown. Surfing for holiday homes has become the new doom scrolling.

Around Rome this week, Italians talked about how “vacation is sacred,” and how the siren call of an inoculation was not strong enough to keep them off course from Sicily.

The people in the next category eligible for vaccination, less-vulnerable 30- and 20-year-olds, are even less likely to stay home for summer.

Tosi, the mayor of Riccione, said in her letter that she had received many appeals from people who had received their first doses in Milan wanting to get their second shots in her seaside town.

“We absolutely want to respond ‘yes’” and show, she said, that the country had the flexibility necessary to beat the virus and save summer. “We must give citizens the possibility of ending their immunization journey in vacation spots.”

Sorlini, in Albino, near Bergamo, said that for now, most of his patients were accepting the summer date for follow-up shots but that many asked, “‘Can I do it at the beach?’”

He said he expected at least 10 people a day to give up on their August appointments for second shots, which means he will struggle to keep those doses from going to waste.

Ciro Mautone, 58, a security guard at Camponeschi, a cafe popular with the vacation set in Rome, said that he had selected the Johnson &amp;amp; Johnson vaccine, which does not require a second shot, in part not to interrupt a potential holiday.

But he said that after the brutal year, with his work hit by the closing of businesses, he was focused on making up lost income rather than fretting about cutting short a vacation.

“I wish I had that problem,” he said.

As Dr. Mario Sorlini sits patients down in a vaccination center near the badly affected Italian town of Bergamo, he explains a potential complication of the coronavirus vaccine.

As Dr. Mario Sorlini sits patients down in a vaccination center near the badly affected Italian town of Bergamo, he explains a potential complication of the coronavirus vaccine. The second dose, he tells patients with terror-stricken faces, will fall on a date during the summer holidays. “‘But I’ll be in Sardinia then,’” he said some had responded with distress. Others moan about hotel rooms they have already booked. Some, he said, get up and leave. For months, Italians have hungered for the vaccines that would give them safety, freedom from lockdown and a taste of normal life. After initial pitfalls and hurdles, the vaccination campaign is finally speeding up, but it is heading smack into the summer holidays that are sacred for many Italians and prompting fears among officials that a significant number would rather get away than get vaccinated. “I am certain that many, after such a hard year, will risk delaying the vaccine” until after the summer holidays, said Renata Tosi, the mayor of Riccione, a beach town that is so identified with summer flings that it lent its name to a recent vacation anthem. That could create a significant danger next fall, Tosi wrote in an open letter to the region’s president. “The Second Shot Blocks Vacation,” read a headline in Messaggero Veneto, a newspaper in northeastern Italy, echoing concerns in papers, websites and social media accounts across the country. An estimated 20 million Italians — mostly 40- and 50-somethings — face the prospect of getting their second shots in the middle of July or worse, in the riptide that is the Italian August, which pulls people out of cities and into swelling seaside towns. To avoid a potentially disastrous summer freeze in the vaccination campaign, and more economic pain, Italy’s regions are urging the government to meet vacationers where they are and offer shots on the beach. “We want to give the second dose to tourists who are not from Veneto,” Luca Zaia, the president of that region, which includes Venice, told reporters, “and also to foreigners, if they want, we can find a solution for them.” He has led the charge to pressure the government to be more flexible to save the tourism season and to loosen up the rigid regional health system to allow Italians to get vaccinated in sun-and-surf regions far from home. Others are working on contingency plans. In Lombardy, another northern region, where the former top health official lost his job last year after refusing to call back nurses from Christmas holidays, his replacement has sought to avoid scheduling second doses in August. The president of the mountainous Piedmont region, in the northwest, has promised flexibility and proposed an arrangement with the seaside region of Liguria that would allow their vacationing residents to swap second doses. Italy’s new government, led by Prime Minister Mario Draghi, prides itself on pragmatism and is desperate to get the tourism economy moving. Draghi recently announced that Italy would lift quarantines and restrictions on vaccinated international tourists and told them “it’s time to book your holidays in Italy.” Island paradises like Capri, favored by many foreigners, have accelerated their vaccination campaigns and are now considered COVID-free. But when it comes to Italians, who are themselves still in the process of getting vaccinated during the summer months, the government has sought to strike a balance between openness to innovative ideas and scolding Italians for their spring and summer fever. “If we do flights of fancy and inventions, I’m not in,” Francesco Paolo Figliuolo, an army general who has been put in charge of Italy’s vaccination effort, said on Tuesday, seeking to throw cold water on plans floated by governors to inoculate vacationing Italians wherever they might go. Such a policy would most likely disrupt rigid regional databases and the orderly process that has finally started lowering deaths and contagions. Italians, the general said, should plan their vacations around the vaccination appointment near their home. “Whoever is going on vacation should plan according to their appointment,” he said. Massimiliano Fedriga, president of Italy’s conference of regions, also called the idea of vaccinating vacationing Italians impossible. “I hope everybody realizes that some places have millions and millions of tourists who will arrive,” he told reporters. “And that it is technically impossible.” He suggested leaving vacations for a day and then heading back. But that may be easier said than done, and many have complained that the government is to blame for altering reservations and creating confusion. In an effort to bolster the number of Italians with some protection against the virus, on April 30, Italy allowed an extension of the waiting period between first and second doses of the Pfizer vaccine to 42 days, from 21. Italians receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine have to wait even longer between shots, with those getting the first dose now often having the follow-up coincide with the August abyss. The result has been a wrenching should-I-stay-or-should-I-go dilemma for Italians who have already planned their summer holidays and are weighing lost deposits against losing their vaccination slots. Even in a normal year, summer vacation is a serious topic in Italy. For a certain, well-heeled slice of society, summer plans — which often last a full month away from work — are all anyone talks about, starting in about March. This year, people have sought vacations with such a vengeance that tourism operators have started using the term “revenge travel” to describe the way Italians are trying to get even with the cruel months of lockdown. Surfing for holiday homes has become the new doom scrolling. Around Rome this week, Italians talked about how “vacation is sacred,” and how the siren call of an inoculation was not strong enough to keep them off course from Sicily. The people in the next category eligible for vaccination, less-vulnerable 30- and 20-year-olds, are even less likely to stay home for summer. Tosi, the mayor of Riccione, said in her letter that she had received many appeals from people who had received their first doses in Milan wanting to get their second shots in her seaside town. “We absolutely want to respond ‘yes’” and show, she said, that the country had the flexibility necessary to beat the virus and save summer. “We must give citizens the possibility of ending their immunization journey in vacation spots.” Sorlini, in Albino, near Bergamo, said that for now, most of his patients were accepting the summer date for follow-up shots but that many asked, “‘Can I do it at the beach?’” He said he expected at least 10 people a day to give up on their August appointments for second shots, which means he will struggle to keep those doses from going to waste. Ciro Mautone, 58, a security guard at Camponeschi, a cafe popular with the vacation set in Rome, said that he had selected the Johnson &amp; Johnson vaccine, which does not require a second shot, in part not to interrupt a potential holiday. But he said that after the brutal year, with his work hit by the closing of businesses, he was focused on making up lost income rather than fretting about cutting short a vacation. “I wish I had that problem,” he said.

Italy’s vaccine drive runs up against a sacred institution: Summer vacation

Italians flocked to bars, restaurants and cinemas following an easing of coronavirus restrictions Monday, as Prime Minister Mario Draghi unveiled a massive EU-funded plan he said would shape the crisis-hit country's future.

After months of stop-start restrictions imposed to manage second and third waves of Covid-19,&nbsp;Italy&nbsp;hopes this latest easing will mark the start of something like a normal summer.

"I've cleared my schedule," enthused 71-year-old Ottavio Rosati, a movie director in Rome. "I'm booked up with museums, restaurants and bars... I'm not going to sit still!"

Draghi has admitted to taking a "calculated risk" with the reopenings, as infection rates have fallen but Covid-19 deaths still mount by hundreds every day, to more than 119,000.

Italian businesses are desperate to reopen after the pandemic sparked the deepest recession since the end of World War II.

The country is pinning its hopes on a 220-billion-euro ($266-billion) plan funded by the European Union, which Draghi told lawmakers Monday would affect "the country's destiny".

Three-quarters of regions dropped Monday into the lower-risk "yellow" category, with bars and restaurants permitted to restart table service outside -- including, for the first time in six months, in the evening, although a 10 pm curfew remains in place.

"Finally!" said Daniele Vespa, the 26-year-old head waiter at Baccano, a restaurant near Rome's Trevi Fountain,, telling AFP: "It's the start of a return to normality."

Cinemas, theatres and concert halls can also open at 50-percent capacity, followed by the staggered opening of swimming pools, gyms, sporting events and theme parks by July 1.

In Milan, the Beltrade cinema claimed the title of being the first to reopen after six months of inaction with a special 06:00 am screening of "Caro Diario," a classic Italian film from the 1990s.

"I went with my husband, and it was great to be back together in a cinema and do this crazy thing," said Francesca Pierangeli, one of 82 people at the sold-out show.

Draghi had been under intense pressure to ease restrictions, including from far-right leader Matteo Salvini and increasingly vocal anti-lockdown street protests.

The vaccination programme is gaining pace with 17.75 million jabs administered so far in a population of around 60 million, but experts doubt this could be enough to stave off a new health crisis.&nbsp;

"Clearly if the gradual reopening is interpreted as a 'free-for-all', a new surge in infections risks compromising the summer season," warned Nino Cartabellotta, head of the GIMBE Foundation health think tank.

Already at the weekend, throngs of people took advantage of the warm weather and packed the streets of central Rome and other cities, causing police to close off some crowded areas.

Italy&nbsp;was the first European country to be hit by the pandemic in early 2020 and remains one of the worst affected, with the EU's highest reported death toll.

Draghi told parliament on Monday the 222.1-billion-euro investment and reform plan would affect "the country's destiny, the extent of its role in the international community, its credibility and reputation" on the world stage.

Italy&nbsp;is the main beneficiary of the EU's 750-billion-euro post-pandemic recovery fund, but is under intense scrutiny to spend the money wisely. The plan must be submitted to Brussels by Friday for approval.

The government hopes the plan will boost growth by 3.6 percentage points by 2026, after the economy shrank by a staggering 8.9 percent last year on the back of coronavirus closures.

Priorities include infrastructure, notably high-speed railways; green energy, including hydrogen power projects; investment in internet services and digitalisation of public administration.

There will be money to help women and young people, who have disproportionately lost out during the pandemic, while around 40 percent will be targeted at historically under-performing southern&nbsp;Italy.

Draghi, a former European Central Bank (ECB) chief, has also highlighted the importance of tax reform and speeding up the snail-paced justice system -- noting it currently takes about 500 days to conclude a civil suit, against 200 in Germany.&nbsp;

Disputes over the spending plan brought down the previous prime minister and his coalition, after which Draghi was parachuted in to lead a national unity government in February.

On Monday, he said&nbsp;Italy&nbsp;would pull through. "I am sure that honesty, intelligence and a taste for the future will prevail over corruption, stupidity and vested interests."

Italians flocked to bars, restaurants and cinemas following an easing of coronavirus restrictions Monday, as Prime Minister Mario Draghi unveiled a massive EU-funded plan he said would shape the crisis-hit country's future.

Italians flocked to bars, restaurants and cinemas following an easing of coronavirus restrictions Monday, as Prime Minister Mario Draghi unveiled a massive EU-funded plan he said would shape the crisis-hit country's future. After months of stop-start restrictions imposed to manage second and third waves of Covid-19, Italy hopes this latest easing will mark the start of something like a normal summer. "I've cleared my schedule," enthused 71-year-old Ottavio Rosati, a movie director in Rome. "I'm booked up with museums, restaurants and bars... I'm not going to sit still!" Draghi has admitted to taking a "calculated risk" with the reopenings, as infection rates have fallen but Covid-19 deaths still mount by hundreds every day, to more than 119,000. Italian businesses are desperate to reopen after the pandemic sparked the deepest recession since the end of World War II. The country is pinning its hopes on a 220-billion-euro ($266-billion) plan funded by the European Union, which Draghi told lawmakers Monday would affect "the country's destiny". Three-quarters of regions dropped Monday into the lower-risk "yellow" category, with bars and restaurants permitted to restart table service outside -- including, for the first time in six months, in the evening, although a 10 pm curfew remains in place. "Finally!" said Daniele Vespa, the 26-year-old head waiter at Baccano, a restaurant near Rome's Trevi Fountain,, telling AFP: "It's the start of a return to normality." Cinemas, theatres and concert halls can also open at 50-percent capacity, followed by the staggered opening of swimming pools, gyms, sporting events and theme parks by July 1. In Milan, the Beltrade cinema claimed the title of being the first to reopen after six months of inaction with a special 06:00 am screening of "Caro Diario," a classic Italian film from the 1990s. "I went with my husband, and it was great to be back together in a cinema and do this crazy thing," said Francesca Pierangeli, one of 82 people at the sold-out show. Draghi had been under intense pressure to ease restrictions, including from far-right leader Matteo Salvini and increasingly vocal anti-lockdown street protests. The vaccination programme is gaining pace with 17.75 million jabs administered so far in a population of around 60 million, but experts doubt this could be enough to stave off a new health crisis. "Clearly if the gradual reopening is interpreted as a 'free-for-all', a new surge in infections risks compromising the summer season," warned Nino Cartabellotta, head of the GIMBE Foundation health think tank. Already at the weekend, throngs of people took advantage of the warm weather and packed the streets of central Rome and other cities, causing police to close off some crowded areas. Italy was the first European country to be hit by the pandemic in early 2020 and remains one of the worst affected, with the EU's highest reported death toll. Draghi told parliament on Monday the 222.1-billion-euro investment and reform plan would affect "the country's destiny, the extent of its role in the international community, its credibility and reputation" on the world stage. Italy is the main beneficiary of the EU's 750-billion-euro post-pandemic recovery fund, but is under intense scrutiny to spend the money wisely. The plan must be submitted to Brussels by Friday for approval. The government hopes the plan will boost growth by 3.6 percentage points by 2026, after the economy shrank by a staggering 8.9 percent last year on the back of coronavirus closures. Priorities include infrastructure, notably high-speed railways; green energy, including hydrogen power projects; investment in internet services and digitalisation of public administration. There will be money to help women and young people, who have disproportionately lost out during the pandemic, while around 40 percent will be targeted at historically under-performing southern Italy. Draghi, a former European Central Bank (ECB) chief, has also highlighted the importance of tax reform and speeding up the snail-paced justice system -- noting it currently takes about 500 days to conclude a civil suit, against 200 in Germany. Disputes over the spending plan brought down the previous prime minister and his coalition, after which Draghi was parachuted in to lead a national unity government in February. On Monday, he said Italy would pull through. "I am sure that honesty, intelligence and a taste for the future will prevail over corruption, stupidity and vested interests."

Italy reopens as PM Mario Draghi unveils historic recovery plan

This has been an ugly year for Italy.

The first wave of the coronavirus took the country by surprise and killed tens of thousands. The second wave somehow took the government by surprise and has killed thousands more. And Italians, desperate for the new vaccine, have struggled to get their hands on simple flu shots or to understand if they will have to be home — and stay home — for the holidays.

To brighten things up as Italians await the vaccine, the government has turned to urban planner and architect Stefano Boeri. Best known for making so-called vertical forests out of Milan skyscrapers, Boeri has sought to help his country with architectural flower power — designing 1,500 pavilions with a primrose theme where the vaccine will be distributed.

“The primrose is the first flower after the winter, it’s something even a child knows,” Boeri said in an interview, calling his vision for the building design “a strong message that everyone can understand.”

Italy has run with the proposal. On Sunday, medical workers received the first vaccinations under posters bearing the country’s official slogan for the program, “With a flower, Italy comes back to life.”

Critics have found the government’s emphasis on Milanese design a little misplaced in a pandemic.

“A clown show,” proclaimed one Italian member of the European Parliament. “Idiots,” offered a prominent commentator. “I don’t want a primrose,” protested a top Italian economist, Carlo Cottarelli. “I want an anti-COVID vaccine!”

But Boeri rejects the cynicism. “Flowers are serious,” he wrote on Twitter, and in the interview he explained why the primrose was the ideal image for Italy’s vaccination program, which kicked off Sunday.

“It’s one thing to go get vaccinated in a container or in a military field hospital and it’s another to go into a luminous space in the form of a flower,” he said.

The project took root about a month ago when Boeri received a call from Domenico Arcuri, Rome’s special commissioner for the coronavirus emergency. Arcuri explained, he said, that although hospitals and empty gyms would be the main vaccination points, there would also be a need for external, temporary pavilions to be created. The program to vaccinate at least 40 million Italians to reach herd immunity would last for at least a year and a half.

Boeri immediately agreed to help.

Like many in northern Italy, he has lost close friends and family to the coronavirus. He said that while the pandemic cast a pall over the year and the country, that made the flashes of generosity and kindness, professionalism and sacrifice shine even brighter.

“The demonstrations of generosity were beautiful,” said Boeri, adding that Italy’s vibrant volunteer sector “at times substituted the lacunae of the state.” It was in that spirit that he and his team, which took no compensation, labored. “It was the least we could do.”

He and Arcuri agreed that they needed a single, coherent image to spread the word and inspire people to roll up their sleeve.

Boeri said he and his team worked furiously over two weeks to come up with something. They sought an image, he said, that could be universally understood as positive “by a 4-year-old or an intellectual in the north or a young migrant.”

He said they excluded antagonistic images that could “promote anxiety,” like a simple graphic of a bar crossing out the spiky virus, but were also careful not to promote the notion that a vaccine would set you free. So they nixed proposals like an image of two young people wrapped in an embrace, or of a mask flying away into the uninfected ether.

When the flower idea emerged, it immediately resonated.

“We began to think that the message had to be so direct that even the pavilions should resemble flowers,” Boeri said.

The next question became which flower to choose, a complicated decision in a country where flowers are often identified with political parties.

“We entered in a madness about the relationship between politics and botany,” he said.

Boeri first thought of a daisy, but then he and his team recalled that it was affiliated with a now-defunct center-left party. They dismissed an Alpine flower, which is the symbol of the nationalist League. They flirted with the idea of the yellow sunflower, but it seemed too close to the bright yellow stars of Italy’s populist Five Star Movement.

But once the primrose entered the picture, it struck them as a no-brainer.

Boeri presented the plan to Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte and the country’s powerful health minister, Roberto Speranza. They expressed their pleasure with the “positivity of the message” and thanked him for his work, he said. But since the primrose comes in many different hues, “we discussed a little bit on the color.”

Conte liked the fuchsia chosen by Boeri, but also thought yellow would be nice, the architect said. Fuchsia was the final choice.

The government will now open bids for construction companies and publicity firms, which could make alterations. But as it stands now, the pavilions are to be built from wood and biodegradable fabric and have airflow, waiting rooms, and light. They are to be inviting hubs of inoculation.

The promotional video for the project shows flowers blooming in thousands of piazzas across the peninsula. Models of the round white pavilions, stamped from above with fuchsia flowers were imagined in the Piazza del Popolo in Rome, the Piazza del Duomo in Milan, and in Trieste and Naples and elsewhere. The designs looked as if Scooby-Doo had taken a spin through Italy in a giant Mystery Machine van, losing tires along the way.

Boeri said smaller towns would have flower-branded gazebos. In any case, the primrose would mark the spot where vaccines could be found. Some have even proposed that the vaccinated should wear primrose pins to identify themselves.

“The primrose is the symbol of the vaccination,” Boeri said. “Wherever you get vaccinated, there will be a primrose.”

This has been an ugly year for Italy. The first wave of the coronavirus took the country by surprise and killed tens of thousands. The second wave somehow took the government by surprise and has killed thousands more.

This has been an ugly year for Italy. The first wave of the coronavirus took the country by surprise and killed tens of thousands. The second wave somehow took the government by surprise and has killed thousands more. And Italians, desperate for the new vaccine, have struggled to get their hands on simple flu shots or to understand if they will have to be home — and stay home — for the holidays. To brighten things up as Italians await the vaccine, the government has turned to urban planner and architect Stefano Boeri. Best known for making so-called vertical forests out of Milan skyscrapers, Boeri has sought to help his country with architectural flower power — designing 1,500 pavilions with a primrose theme where the vaccine will be distributed. “The primrose is the first flower after the winter, it’s something even a child knows,” Boeri said in an interview, calling his vision for the building design “a strong message that everyone can understand.” Italy has run with the proposal. On Sunday, medical workers received the first vaccinations under posters bearing the country’s official slogan for the program, “With a flower, Italy comes back to life.” Critics have found the government’s emphasis on Milanese design a little misplaced in a pandemic. “A clown show,” proclaimed one Italian member of the European Parliament. “Idiots,” offered a prominent commentator. “I don’t want a primrose,” protested a top Italian economist, Carlo Cottarelli. “I want an anti-COVID vaccine!” But Boeri rejects the cynicism. “Flowers are serious,” he wrote on Twitter, and in the interview he explained why the primrose was the ideal image for Italy’s vaccination program, which kicked off Sunday. “It’s one thing to go get vaccinated in a container or in a military field hospital and it’s another to go into a luminous space in the form of a flower,” he said. The project took root about a month ago when Boeri received a call from Domenico Arcuri, Rome’s special commissioner for the coronavirus emergency. Arcuri explained, he said, that although hospitals and empty gyms would be the main vaccination points, there would also be a need for external, temporary pavilions to be created. The program to vaccinate at least 40 million Italians to reach herd immunity would last for at least a year and a half. Boeri immediately agreed to help. Like many in northern Italy, he has lost close friends and family to the coronavirus. He said that while the pandemic cast a pall over the year and the country, that made the flashes of generosity and kindness, professionalism and sacrifice shine even brighter. “The demonstrations of generosity were beautiful,” said Boeri, adding that Italy’s vibrant volunteer sector “at times substituted the lacunae of the state.” It was in that spirit that he and his team, which took no compensation, labored. “It was the least we could do.” He and Arcuri agreed that they needed a single, coherent image to spread the word and inspire people to roll up their sleeve. Boeri said he and his team worked furiously over two weeks to come up with something. They sought an image, he said, that could be universally understood as positive “by a 4-year-old or an intellectual in the north or a young migrant.” He said they excluded antagonistic images that could “promote anxiety,” like a simple graphic of a bar crossing out the spiky virus, but were also careful not to promote the notion that a vaccine would set you free. So they nixed proposals like an image of two young people wrapped in an embrace, or of a mask flying away into the uninfected ether. When the flower idea emerged, it immediately resonated. “We began to think that the message had to be so direct that even the pavilions should resemble flowers,” Boeri said. The next question became which flower to choose, a complicated decision in a country where flowers are often identified with political parties. “We entered in a madness about the relationship between politics and botany,” he said. Boeri first thought of a daisy, but then he and his team recalled that it was affiliated with a now-defunct center-left party. They dismissed an Alpine flower, which is the symbol of the nationalist League. They flirted with the idea of the yellow sunflower, but it seemed too close to the bright yellow stars of Italy’s populist Five Star Movement. But once the primrose entered the picture, it struck them as a no-brainer. Boeri presented the plan to Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte and the country’s powerful health minister, Roberto Speranza. They expressed their pleasure with the “positivity of the message” and thanked him for his work, he said. But since the primrose comes in many different hues, “we discussed a little bit on the color.” Conte liked the fuchsia chosen by Boeri, but also thought yellow would be nice, the architect said. Fuchsia was the final choice. The government will now open bids for construction companies and publicity firms, which could make alterations. But as it stands now, the pavilions are to be built from wood and biodegradable fabric and have airflow, waiting rooms, and light. They are to be inviting hubs of inoculation. The promotional video for the project shows flowers blooming in thousands of piazzas across the peninsula. Models of the round white pavilions, stamped from above with fuchsia flowers were imagined in the Piazza del Popolo in Rome, the Piazza del Duomo in Milan, and in Trieste and Naples and elsewhere. The designs looked as if Scooby-Doo had taken a spin through Italy in a giant Mystery Machine van, losing tires along the way. Boeri said smaller towns would have flower-branded gazebos. In any case, the primrose would mark the spot where vaccines could be found. Some have even proposed that the vaccinated should wear primrose pins to identify themselves. “The primrose is the symbol of the vaccination,” Boeri said. “Wherever you get vaccinated, there will be a primrose.”

Italy turns to flower power to help spread vaccine message

Italy's former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who recently tested positive for the novel coronavirus, has been hospitalised "as a precaution", a statement from his entourage said Friday.

It said the media tycoon was taken to San Raffaele hospital in Milan on Thursday night after suffering "certain symptoms", but there was "no cause for concern."

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/italys-former-pm-berlusconi-tests-positive-for-coronavirus-324829">Italy's former PM Berlusconi tests positive for coronavirus</a>

The AGI news agency said Berlusconi, who turns 84 at the end of this month, was hospitalised in a room that he often occupies when he stays at the facility. AGI said this indicates that his condition is not serious, or he would be in intensive care.

Licia Ronzulli, a senator with Berlusconi's Forza Italia party, said the former prime minister "spent the night in hospital to check on his condition... but he is fine."

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/down-but-not-out-berlusconi-could-hold-key-to-italian-governments-future-311918">Down but not out: Berlusconi could hold key to Italian government's future</a>

Berlusconi announced Wednesday that he had tested positive for the novel coronavirus and was in quarantine at home.

Two of his children - daughter Barbara, 36, and son Luigi, 31 - have also contracted the virus, as has his companion Marta Fascina.

Berlusconi, who once owned AC Milan, had insisted on Wednesday that he would continue his political activities.

"I will be present in the electoral campaign with interviews on televisions and in newspapers," he said during a video-conference of Forza Italia's women's movement.

He recognised "the limitations imposed on my activities by testing positive for the coronavirus... but I will continue the battle."

Regional elections are due to take place in two weeks as well as a referendum on reducing the number of Italian parliamentarians.

Italy's former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who recently tested positive for the novel coronavirus, has been hospitalised "as a precaution", a statement from his entourage said Friday.

Italy's former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who recently tested positive for the novel coronavirus, has been hospitalised "as a precaution", a statement from his entourage said Friday. It said the media tycoon was taken to San Raffaele hospital in Milan on Thursday night after suffering "certain symptoms", but there was "no cause for concern." Also read: Italy's former PM Berlusconi tests positive for coronavirus The AGI news agency said Berlusconi, who turns 84 at the end of this month, was hospitalised in a room that he often occupies when he stays at the facility. AGI said this indicates that his condition is not serious, or he would be in intensive care. Licia Ronzulli, a senator with Berlusconi's Forza Italia party, said the former prime minister "spent the night in hospital to check on his condition... but he is fine." Also read: Down but not out: Berlusconi could hold key to Italian government's future Berlusconi announced Wednesday that he had tested positive for the novel coronavirus and was in quarantine at home. Two of his children - daughter Barbara, 36, and son Luigi, 31 - have also contracted the virus, as has his companion Marta Fascina. Berlusconi, who once owned AC Milan, had insisted on Wednesday that he would continue his political activities. "I will be present in the electoral campaign with interviews on televisions and in newspapers," he said during a video-conference of Forza Italia's women's movement. He recognised "the limitations imposed on my activities by testing positive for the coronavirus... but I will continue the battle." Regional elections are due to take place in two weeks as well as a referendum on reducing the number of Italian parliamentarians.

Berlusconi hospitalised as 'precaution' after positive COVID-19 test