If one thing could really bring home how significantly life has changed over the past few weeks, it’s seeing sights like Rome’s Spanish Steps and St Mark’s Square in Venice completely, utterly deserted.
Usually, you’d have to wade through crowds upon crowds to get within even queuing distance of the Doge’s Palace or Colosseum. But with curfews and quarantine measures being enforced throughout Europe, things are looking very different now – as these live webcam feeds from Skyline show.
You do wonder who the odd straggler is and why they’re still knocking about, but mainly it’s made us ever-impatient to get back out and explore. We’ll have to wait, and it’ll be great.
The water may still be flowing, but you’d be hard-pressed to spot more than one or two Romans passing by the Trevi Fountain every minute or so right now. It’s a similar story at the Spanish Steps and Colosseum.
View webcam of Trevi Fountain
In any normal time, this would be one of the busiest places in the Spanish capital. Yet as the government enforces a lockdown, few are passing through but emergency service personnel.
View webcam of Puerta del Sol
La Serenissima was one of the first Italian cities to go into lockdown, and its most popular tourist spot, St. Mark’s Square, is far from the bustling centrepiece it usually is.
View webcam of St Mark’s Square
The Church of Our Lady Before Týn looms over a decidedly empty Old Town Square in Prague. On March 16 the Czech government ordered its citizens to stay indoors for at least a week.
View webcam of Old Town Square
There’s no sign of life along the white sands of Las Vistas in Tenerife, where tourists have been told to stay in their hotels in line with Spain’s nationwide lockdown.
View webcam of Las Vistas beach
When we last went here, it took us a few minutes to barge through the boutique-lined Ponte Vecchio’s habitual crowds. Today it’s virtually deserted.
View webcam of Ponte Vecchio
Belgium isn’t on lockdown quite yet, but this historic marketplace in the capital is emptying out already.
View webcam of Market Square
Usually a thriving place of pilgrimage, Jerusalem’s Western Wall is noticeably emptier than usual. Israelis have been told not to leave their homes unless necessary, and the country’s borders have been sealed off to visitors.
View webcam of Western Wall
There are lots of seagulls on Barceloneta – yet no humans. Public life in the Catalan capital has shut down almost completely.
View webcam of Barceloneta beach
All tourist activity seems to have faded along Italy’s Amalfi Coast, with boats at a standstill and roads almost car-free.
View webcam of Amalfi Coast
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