Fancy a stroll? Across Europe, young people like me are finding friends by walking our cities | Viola Di Grado

We are the post-pandemic flaneurs: stepping out of social media silos to meet people and connect with the world around us

When I moved back to London from Rome just before the second lockdown in 2020, I found a city that was hardly welcoming, with shops closed and an atmosphere of silent apprehension. Young, single people like me were only socialising online with existing friends, and opportunities to make fresh connections were rare.

When I met Irenka from Poland at a literary festival, she looked as thirsty for new friends as I was. As we started complaining about the difficulties of mingling she introduced me to an app that allows people to find new pals on organised walks. I quickly downloaded it.