In a year, where all of us had to imagine what it felt like to be outside, we tried to learn how we can connect over suffering through the same thing – being locked in. But the Italians found a way to evoke the spirit of community as the feeling of solitude crept in. Of course, it’s through music.

Italians showed the world that our lives may have been constrained but the music can flow through unrestrained, right out of the balconies into each other’s homes. And we learnt that this outreach is enough to soothe the mind during especially trying times.

Here are a few examples of how the music created an environment of togetherness: