by Editor Siarhei Mikhaliuk 
Published the 27th of March 2020

On the eve of the outbreak of Covid-19 in Italy I ended up in Venice.
From the Dolomites, which later turned out to be the epicentre of the infections, I headed for Venice.
I never visited Venice in winter time and so it was interesting to be there in this time of the year. I didn't expect to see the historical centre covered in snow, but what I saw exceeded all my expectations.

At once, when arriving at the railway station, I noticed a heavy fog and it became clear to me that I would witness something unique. The morning mist hid the contours of the streets and evoked an infinitely mysterious mood.  I wanted to report on that and convey my feelings through my lens. So, I picked up my camera and set off.

Fog always creates a kind of mystery and riddle in a photograph.  Every photographer knows it. Exposing the morning mood of a city and wrapping it in his own magic is a wonderful photographic experience.

I took about 150 photographs during my 3 hours walk and then returned home. 
One month later, I reviewed the footage. 

To my surprise, all photos seemed to point forward to the events that are happening now.

The strange mood felt like a premonition of what was going to happen in the near future.  In less than two weeks, all streets would be empty and the whole of Italy would be hit by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Today, Venice is no longer as we used to know it with its hordes of tourists and a great atmosphere.
But I know that the time will come, that the true Italian mood will light up again on it and that we will see Venice as we always knew it — noisy, vibrant and cheerful.