Empty tables. Vacant courtyards. A priest in prayer. These are scenes from Italy on lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic. For V.F.’s latest digital cover, photographer Alex Majoli captures life—and resilience—in the heart of a modern-day plague. vntyfr.com/VSw23fp 
New laws have restricted internal travel in Italy, effectively isolating local communities. These workers are tightly screened as they arrive at the Messina ferry terminal. vntyfr.com/qqroVxl
In an E.R. in the northern city of Reggio Emilia, a paramedic sprays down hospital beds. Along with Lombardy, the Emilia-Romagna region has been among the most ravaged by the pandemic. vntyfr.com/qqroVxl
Stray dogs, who have been known to attack local residents, roam the countryside of Scicli, Sicily. vntyfr.com/qqroVxl
Inside a bus in Catania, the driver has erected a masking-tape barrier to separate himself from the passengers. vntyfr.com/qqroVxl
A man in Catania, seemingly aimless, pushes, then abandons, then retrieves a shopping cart, talking antically to himself. “I felt an echo of Cormac McCarthy’s 'The Road,'” photographer Alex Majoli says of this scene. “An end-of-the-world quality.” vntyfr.com/qqroVxl
Shoppers from the countryside buy artichokes and oranges in Catania, Sicily, on the last day vendors are allowed to sell produce in the outdoor market. vntyfr.com/qqroVxl
In a small public square in Catania, a clutter of tables and chairs convey the haste with which staffers had to close down their restaurant. vntyfr.com/qqroVxl
At Palermo’s church of Santa Rosalia, a priest and an aide pray in an empty sanctuary, reciting a coronavirus invocation, “Prayer for this challenging time,” written by Palermo’s archbishop. vntyfr.com/qqroVxl
Siracusa’s Santa Lucia square typically teems with crowds. “I waited for an hour without seeing a soul,” Majoli recalls. “Then this lone figure passed by.” vntyfr.com/qqroVxl
