I had known Basilicata well for many years when we took up residence in Oppido Lucano. It was an opportunity to explore a reality that was new to me, which might have similarities or differences compared to other places in Basilicata, and I wanted to focus on the sense of belonging to the village, commonly described in studies on southern Italy as “parochialism.” I found a place where there is still a strong sense of attachment, both on the part of those who have left and those who have stayed. It is a place that also welcomes outsiders, the new Oppidesi. At the same time, however, there are numerous internal divisions that characterize every sphere of life in Oppido.