Vittoria, the Bookseller of Asti
It is one of those days when the sky over Asti seems like a vast expanse of gray cotton, woven with silver threads by the rain that falls intermittently, thin but pervasive.
I walk through the central streets that snake like arteries of memory through the city, until I reach a small hidden courtyard, an almost secret corner in the heart of Asti. Here lies a small bookstore, or rather, the Piccola Libreria Indipendente, a magical place that seems to escape both time and the surrounding urban space.
I meet Vittoria, a young woman with hair the color of red wine, with eyes sparkling with a curiosity untainted by the monotony of everyday life. She speaks of books with a fervor that could convert even the most skeptical soul to reading. The texts in her bookstore are all carefully selected by her; each is a seed planted in the fertile ground of human curiosity.
“I chose to open my bookstore here because I am in love with Asti. It is a city that has the rhythm of a beating heart, slow but constant, rich in history and beauty. And then, it is the place that saw me grow up, a weave of my dearest memories”. Vittoria talks about her bookstore as a realized dream, a dream she had since she was a child, when she played with her grandmother, selling her the books she had at home, and which took shape in the Piccola Libreria Indipendente. “I opened a year ago, on Sunday, November 13, 2022” she says with a smile that lights her up “and since then this place has become my second home. I have never felt alone here, surrounded by pages that tell a thousand stories and people who come to visit me to share their love for reading with me. I couldn’t have imagined another life than that of a bookseller”.
Her favorite places are meaningful spots in Asti.
“The first is obviously my bookstore, here, in this small courtyard on Corso Alfieri 241. It is more than a house, it is a refuge, a safe haven where I can be myself, immersed in the books and stories I love”.
Then there is the Caffetteria Mazzetti, another slice of paradise. “I worked there for almost seven years while I was studying. That place supported and guided me in becoming the person I am today. Every cup of coffee, every smile exchanged with customers, was a step towards realizing my dream”.
And finally, the steps of the Oblati di San Giuseppe Church. “When I was little, my mother lived near that church” she recounts, her gaze lost in memories “I used to sit on those steps with my friend Rebecca. We talked for hours, watching the square, the statue, the Vittorio Alfieri’ tree and losing ourselves in the sunsets”.
Those steps are for her more than just stones, they are the stage of countless memories, of dreams whispered in the air of Asti.
Her story, like the pages of a book you don’t want to close, continues to flow in the small bookstore, a place where time seems to stop, where every book is an invitation to travel, to dream, to live. Her story is a living fresco of Asti, an unwritten novel of passions, art, and literature. And as she speaks to me, I understand that every city, every place has its narrative, and sometimes all it takes is a passionate voice to turn stones and streets into poetry.
As I leave Vittoria’s bookstore, I notice that the sky of Asti is beginning to clear, the sun like golden threads starting to peek through the clouds.
The story of Vittoria, the little independent bookseller, intertwined with that of the city where I too was born and raised, has become part of my journey, part of my “Anthology of an Ordinary Journey”, a chapter rich in memories and places that I now see with new eyes.
VITTORIA'S PLACES
HER PICCOLA LIBRERIA INDIPENDENTE
THE STEPS OF THE OBLATI DI SAN GIUSEPPE CHURCH