Aliano (40°18'43.0"N 16°13'53.1"E)
Aliano is a town and comune in the province of Matera, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata.
Aliano was the setting of Carlo Levi's book Christ Stopped at Eboli , where the town is called Gagliano according to the local pronunciation. Published in 1945, it gives an account of his exile in 1935–1936 in Aliano.
Aliano was the setting of Carlo Levi's book Christ Stopped at Eboli , where the town is called Gagliano according to the local pronunciation. Published in 1945, it gives an account of his exile in 1935–1936 in Aliano.
Aliano has its own dialect, alianese, and the population keep many old traditions. They use of architecture to ward off the evil eye, the malocchio. Many of the town's older homes, including one in the town's historic square called casa con gli occhi ("house with eyes") are formed with two forward windows and a staircase leading from the ground up to the home's main floor. The combination of stairs and windows make the home look like a face. When lit from the inside, the windows may look like burning eyes, enough to scare away any bad spirits.
