Michael Vocino
University of Rhode Island
In Sannicandro there are two main streets.
One, the oldest, created centuries ago, is now named after Umberto, one of Italy's kings.
The other, probably created early in the last century, is named Via Antonio
Gramsci, in honor of a great Italian communist and political theorist. The
streets run perpendicular to each other and both run from "il mare"
(the sea) to the mountains. Via Umberto is the center of social life and Via
Gramsci is the center of Sannicandro's economic life. Gramsci is filled with
small shops with everything you could possibly find at a modern shopping mall.
The difference is that each shop is individually owned and the owner is a
specialist in whatever the product is. For example is you wanted to buy a pack
of cigarettes, you go to the tobacconist. If you wanted a key made, you would
go to a key maker. When one goes shopping, one meets a lot of people, and needs
to go to a lot of shops. It is a way of socializing, too.
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