If you visit Martina Franca, especially on a summer evening, you might notice something a little strange.
People are walking up and down the same street. Then they turn around and do it again.
And again.
It might sound kind of silly when you read about it, but this is the Stradone, and walking up and down it has been part of life in Martina Franca for generations.
Officially, it's Piazza XX Settembre, but to the Martinesi it's simply “u Stradòn” — the big street.
And for me, the Stradone is connected to some of my strongest memories of arriving in Martina Franca.
When I arrived from Canada
I moved to Martina Franca from Canada in 1996, when I was 18 years old.
I remember that one of the main attractions for us at that age was to get all dressed up and walk up and down the Stradone. It was such a culture shock for me, but in a positive way.
I also remember people calling me “l'Americana.” Not because I was American — I am Canadian — but to the Italians, I had come from America, meaning North America.
Growing up in Canada, at that age we would go to shopping malls or clubs to meet other people.
Here in Martina Franca, I discovered that the mall and the club were the Stradone.
We would walk along the Stradone, continue down through the historic centre all the way to Piazza Plebiscito and the Basilica di San Martino, and then turn around and walk all the way back up.
Then we'd do it again.
And again.
It honestly felt like we walked it 100 times in one evening!
I sometimes wonder now how many kilometres we actually covered just walking up and down that route without even realising it.
Those butterflies in your stomach
At that age, it was all so genuine.
Girls and boys would look at each other as they passed. You'd catch someone's eye, keep walking, and then you'd get excited because you knew that when you turned around and walked back, you might cross that person again.
Another look.
Another little moment of eye contact.
And that butterfly-in-your-stomach feeling.
Sometimes that was it. You didn't even have to speak to each other. You just couldn't wait to walk back down the Stradone to see if your eyes would meet again.
When I think about it now, it's such a simple thing. But maybe that's exactly what made it so special.
But why the Stradone?
What I didn't know when I arrived in Martina Franca in 1996 was that we weren't inventing anything. Walking the Stradone was already an old Martinese tradition.
The Stradone is officially Piazza XX Settembre, but locally it has long been known as u Stradòn. It was once known as Piazza del Mercato, and the present square dates to the end of the 19th century. It runs from the Villa Comunale towards the Arco di Santo Stefano, the beautiful gateway into Martina Franca's historic centre.
Its position naturally made it a meeting point between the town and its historic centre.
Over time, the Stradone became the traditional place for the Italian struscio — that simple evening ritual where people go out for a walk, not necessarily because they have somewhere to go, but to meet people, talk, see and be seen.
So there I was, l'Americana, newly arrived from Canada, wondering why everyone was getting dressed up just to walk up and down the same street.
What I didn't realise was that I was becoming part of a tradition that had been there long before me.
And we're still doing it
The funny thing is that the tradition hasn't really changed.
I'm now 48 years old and I'm still walking up and down the Stradone, all the way down towards Piazza Plebiscito and San Martino and back again.
Of course, I'm not 18 anymore, walking backwards and forwards looking for the same boy!
Today, I walk down the Stradone hand in hand with Domenico, the man I love.
And now my daughter is 14. Even though the generations have changed, she too meets up with her friends in the town centre, and they too stroll up and down the Stradone.
I love that. Almost 30 years later, the generations may have changed, but the tradition hasn't.
In summer, the Stradone is jam-packed with people. Children, teenagers, adults and elderly people are all out doing basically the same thing — catwalking up and down the Stradone and down towards the piazza.
Some might stop at a bar for a drink, a gelato or a pizza.
Others just walk and talk. When you see someone you know, you say hello. Maybe you stop for a quick chat. Then you carry on walking.
And sooner or later, you'll probably see them again!
In winter, the crowds drop and it gets busier at the weekends, but there is always life on the Stradone, all year round.
That's one of the things I love about it.
Almost 30 years have passed since l'Americana first arrived in Martina Franca and discovered this strange habit of getting dressed up just to walk up and down the same street.
And I'm still doing it.
So, if you ever visit Martina Franca, make sure you don't just pass through the Stradone.
Get on the Stradone, walk your best catwalk, look around you and take in your surroundings.
Stop for a gelato. Have a drink. Watch the people. Say hello if you recognise someone.
And just keep walking.