Friendship between the Italian and Chinese peoples has flourished during the battle against the coronavirus, with Italians expressing genuine gratitude for Chinese assistance.

Chinese medical experts have an exchange with local medical staff at the hospital affiliated to the University of Rome. (Photo via Chinese medical team to Italy)

Italy has already put in place a countrywide lockdown in response to the epidemic, requiring people to stay home. In a spirit of optimism, Italians are holding "balcony concerts" at 6 p.m. every day in several neighborhoods in Rome to boost everyone’s morale. The “concert programs” usually include the Italian national anthem, pop music, classical opera and so on.

"I don't know if there are any Chinese neighbors here, but I want to thank this country and this people from the bottom of my heart,” said a loud male voice from a microphone on March 14. At that moment, the strains of the magnificent song "March of the Volunteers", the Chinese national anthem, could be heard.

Duan Yan, a Chinese student at the Rome University of Fine Arts, grabbed his phone to take a picture of the scene. "It was a really proud and emotional moment when I saw my Italian neighbor waving at me, and I burst into tears."

In recent days, Chinese and Italian people have joined hands to fight against the epidemic, resulting in many heart-warming scenes.

On the evening of March 12, a medical team sent by the Chinese government to fight the epidemic arrived in Rome armed with medical supplies. The team not only provided supplies to hospitals, but also travelled to affected areas, including Lombardy and Veneto to share their experiences with local medical workers and researchers.

Francesco Rocca, president of the Italian Red Cross Society, welcomed the Chinese delegation at the Red Cross headquarters in Rome and expressed his gratitude for China’s generosity.

One young Italian man decided to thank China for its help in a time of crisis by learning to sing the Chinese national anthem word for word. Meanwhile, a Neapolitan girl named her paintings "For Italian and Chinese doctors and nurses fighting the epidemic" in order to show her gratitude.

"Chinese doctors embody the humanitarian spirit and we should pay tribute to them. They could have stayed at home [in China] but they chose to come here [to Italy] to fight," an Italian netizen called Max wrote on the Chinese embassy's social media account.