Italians sing out from balconies during coronavirus lockdown

Men play Italy's national anthem from their apartment window as part of a flashmob organised to raise morale during Italy's coronavirus crisis in Rome, Italy, March 13, 2020. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane

MILAN (Reuters) - Italians blocked in their homes by the coronavirus outbreak joined together to sing patriotic songs from their balconies, a defiant response to a crisis that has pushed the country's health system to the limit and turned daily life on its head.

From Milan, near the northern epicentre of the crisis, to the capital Rome and Naples and Palermo in the south, social media showed people on their balconies or leaning from windows and singing the national anthem or popular songs over the past couple of days.