Written on the Stairs

When discussing locations for my novel, my mom asked me how I found these small towns outside of these more well-known cities. How did I find these locations that tourists don't know? Well, the easy answer is research and a list of what I was looking for in a location. It is more detailed than that and a lot of factors go into looking for a specific location but I think that'll go into a post more detailed about my research process. Basically, this convoluted intro is to introduce Polignano A Mare, the inspiration behind the town where my main character, Penelope, was born.

Much like with Benevento, it was an incredible experience to be in the very place that inspired a part of my novel. Just by being there, I was so eager to walk around the town and get an understanding of the layout in addition to picking out specific reference locations. The view of this beach was absolutely beautiful as well and there were no eyesores in this town.

Also getting to experience things that I may have missed in my research. An instance of this is seeing quotes written on doors, walls, and even on the stairs. I thought it was incredibly cool and really added more personality to the town. That alone really impacted the setting, resulting in a level of future rewrites that leave me confused about where to go from here, and altered the entire presence of certain characters. In addition, I feel that this town has more of a tourist location than I expected which I feel also provided more inspiration for my rewrites.

I didn't hire a guide to walk with me around the town and I wish I did. I also left wishing I had more time in this beautiful town. I left wanting to learn even more. But even being at this location impacted the way I've been looking at my novel and catapulted me to a step in the writing process that I figured I would end up at some point in this trip. Regardless, I think it was absolutely worth the four-and-a-half-hour train ride and I'm glad that I made the visit both for the sake of my novel and for myself. In addition, I do plan on staying in this town for at least a weekend next time I'm in Italy. I think it's practically written in the stars... Or stairs rather.