THEY are the sole inhabitants of a tiny Italian hamlet, but these elderly retirees aren’t taking any chances when it comes to upholding the country’s strict COVID-19 rules.

Giovanni Carilli and Giampiero Nobili wear masks every time they meet and insist on standing one meter apart, despite the fact that they have no neighbors and rarely leave the secluded town of Nortosce.

Located in the province of Perugia in Umbria, popular with tourists, Nortosce sits above a rocky gorge in the Nerina Valley at an altitude of 900 meters, making it extremely hard to reach.

But despite their remote position, neither Carilli, 82, or Nobili, 74, feel protected from the virus, which has claimed the lives of nearly 37,000 people in Italy.

“I’m dead scared of the virus,” Carilli said. “If I get sick, I’m on my own, who would look after me?

“I’m old, but I want to keep living here looking after my sheep, vines, beehives and orchard. Hunting truffles and mushrooms. I enjoy my life.”

At present, Italians are required to observe a social distance of one meter, while masks are mandatory in all public spaces, both outdoors and indoors, except in private homes.

While local police have been handing out fines ranging from €400 to €1,000 (US$470 to US$1,170) to those refusing to wear masks in some of the country’s most crowded cities, for Carilli and Nobili, face coverings are a sacred rule.

Nobili feels it would be disrespectful for either of them to ignore the strict measures put in place during the pandemic, despite their rather exceptional circumstances.

“Wearing a mask and respecting social distancing is not just for health reasons,” he says.

“It’s not something ‘bad’ or ‘good.’ If there are rules you need to abide by them for your own sake and other people’s. It’s a matter of principle.”

When the pair meet for an espresso at Carilli’s house, they sit at a 2-meter-long table, one at each end.

They also make sure to maintain social distancing during their regular walks to an ancient Roman stone fountain to collect fresh spring water.

Carilli was born in the village, but spent much of his life making cured meats in Rome, before returning to live in his childhood home after his retirement.

Nobili, the brother of Carilli’s brother-in-law, also chose to reside here during his twilight years.

However, he still makes artisan jewelry, explaining that the abundance of nature in the town, which is surrounded by beautiful forests, helps to inspire his art.

As many former residents escaped to Rome and other cities to find work following a series of earthquakes in Italy during the late 1990s, Carilli and Nobili have the town to themselves most of the time.

Apart from each other, their only other companions are Carilli’s truffle dog and the five sheep he keeps in his backyard — although they still occasionally meet up with family outside of the hamlet.

Nortosce is connected to the mainland by one single scenic road with hairpin turns and no guardrail, offering a breathtaking view over the wild Sibillini mountains, where pilgrims and travelers once roamed.

“That road ends right here, so nobody comes unless they’re headed straight to Nortosce,” says Carilli, who often goes truffle-hunting with his beloved dog.

“There’s a bit of social buzz, just during summer, when families return to their ancestors’ house. So many people fled in the past due to several terrible quakes.”

Tucked away in the hills, Nortosce is ideally situated for visiting the nearby Abruzzo and Marche regions, particularly the ancient Roman town of Ascoli Piceno.  (SD-Agencies)