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San Vito dei Normanni has a problem! It wants to be a city -
Some years ago it was described to me as “just a typical Southern Italian working town”. Working and industrious it certainly is, but typical no. It’s a modern upstart by local standards, of no size or importance until the 15th century. In 1484 it had become significant enough to attract the attention of the Venetians, who promptly sacked it!
San Vito is no less interesting for not having a pedigree certificate though. The dei Normanni bit isn’t an affectation either; I lost count of Italian places called San Vito at about numero quindici (15), but S.V.deiN. (You will see lots of abbreviations, some of them even official) is the king of the pack. It even has it’s own “royalty” in residence, and by all accounts a very nice and approachable prince he is. No, the Dentice Frasso signs aren’t a guide to the local orthodontist, they point to the location of the prince's little town house.