Tucked away in the innermost heart of San Vito Romano’s historic centre is Vicolo Baciadonne, one of its most evocative corners. It isn’t even easy to find: getting lost among the alleys of the old town and discovering it on your own, perhaps asking a local for directions, is part of the charm of this place.
The name already says it all: it brings to mind a secluded, almost hidden spot, somewhere to stop for a moment of intimacy and perhaps kiss your beloved. Who knows if the name really was born from something of the sort.
Walking through it today, you get the impression that barely one person passes by every ten days: the little flights of steps, the archways, the old stone walls and the houses huddled close together seem to isolate it from the rest of the village. And yet there are still homes here, and behind those doors life and stories go on: some remember that a grandfather’s cellar once stood on the upper landing, while others grew up in one of the alley’s houses, among memories tied to their grandparents’ home.
Those who lived here also recall being able to lean out of the living-room window and see the little square of San Biagio, not far away. And perhaps it’s also because of its narrowness that the alley holds another meaning: here, as someone pointed out, meeting a neighbour means you simply have to greet them, since there’s no way to slip past unseen - a small, almost obligatory ritual, “not just a game of Monopoly,” as it was jokingly put.
Source: memories shared by the community on Facebook.