Marriage counselors took to Skype and WhatsApp to help struggling couples cope with the stress of lost jobs and extended co-confinement during the 67 days of national lockdown but this did not stop the surge in requests for divorce, Corriere della Sera reported last week.

According to accounts related by counselors, the irritation caused by everything from badly squeezed toothpaste tubes, socks left on the floor, suspicious phone calls, and tight shared spaces has been magnified by the extended lockdown, resulting in a run on the divorce courts.

The occasional relief of home tensions from a dip in the sea or a walk in the woods was no longer an option, resulting in homes becoming virtual pressure cookers, with prolonged silence alternating with outbreaks of angry shouting, recriminations, and even domestic violence.