The glasses remain stacked upside down at the Rocket Club in Milan. More than 19 months have passed since the city’s club scene was closed after the first local coronavirus infection was detected in the west (only one hour).

The Rocket Club has been the centerpiece of Italy’s financial and fashion centers of indie, underground and techno scenes since 2003, and moved to what is now the Navilli Canal district in 2013.

But since February 22, 2020, music hasn’t resonated through the cave hall.

Manager Davide Volonte recalls the surreal mood when the first masked client appeared last night before the shutdown instruction came into effect. Two days after the first Italian COVID-19 patient was diagnosed in the Lombardy town of Codogno on the Milan commuter belt.

At that time, most club owners were convinced that the closure would last for weeks. “Everything was new and the situation was the same for everyone,” Volonte said, remembering a sense of confusion rather than worry.

But even when the Italian blockade was eased in the summer of 2020, unlike restaurants, cinemas and theaters, nightclubs remained largely closed and have not yet reopened. Only clubs with outdoor space are allowed to function as cocktail bars, but dance is not allowed.

Rocket club owner Massimiliano Ruffolo reopened the rocket bar on the other side in the summer of 2020. But when another blockade took place at the end of summer, he sold the bar.

“Void” is probably the most famous techno club in the area. Created by DJ Ritchie V, whose real name is Francesco Orcese, it was temporarily a must-see Thursday night meeting place in Milan.

In the early days of the closure, Orcese said it led to regional and national blockades within a few weeks, initially like a holiday from a busy calendar. Depression began in the summer of 2020, and there were no signs that nightlife would return. He spent time reading books, watching movies, working out, writing and making his own music.

“I felt like a prisoner who didn’t know his release date and moved from anguish and depression to real anger,” Orcese said. By alternating blockades and curfew, he said, “the night was completely killed.”

As of Monday, the venue can be opened indoors with 50% capacity and outdoors with 75% capacity.

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