Oscar De Lena is a man with a mission. And a measuring stick. De Lena is president of the local archeological society in the picturesque hamlet of Termoli, on Italy's Adriatic coast. For the past four years he's also been self-appointed guardian of Termoli's claim of being home to Italy's narrowest alleyway. It's a boast hotly contested by rival villages, but De Lena is determined to see off all challengers. "I've known it since the day of my birth," he says. "So I started measuring it over and over again, up and down, down and up. I've covered each single point."
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Oscar De Lena has made it his mission in life to prove his hometown of Termoli has Italy's smallest alleyway
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He faces strong competition from rivals in the towns of Ripatransone and Citta della Pieve
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For De Lena it's a matter of pride. For others a lucrative tourist attraction is at stake
"We'll keep on saying that it's @placeholder's narrowest alley, or at least among its narrowest.