Forsyth County native working in Rome gives a window into the suffering, mistakes made in Italy's fight against COVID-19 - Gainesville Times

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Forsyth County native working in Rome gives a window into the suffering, mistakes made in Italy's fight against COVID-19

Melissa Butz stands in a vacant St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican in Rome. Normally bustling with tourists and the faithful, the area is one of countless of Rome’s most famous places left empty by quarantines meant to control the rampant spread of COVID-19 in Italy. Photo courtesy Melissa Butz.

03222020 FORSYTH 1.jpg — Melissa Butz stands in a vacant St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican in Rome. Normally bustling with tourists and the faithful, the area is one of countless of Rome’s most famous places left empty by quarantines meant to control the rampant spread of COVID-19 in Italy. Photo courtesy Melissa Butz.

Melissa Butz was traveling by train from Florence, Italy, and the hilltowns of Tuscany back to Rome, about an hour and a half ride, with a car full of passengers wearing masks.