A tiny town in south-west Italy has named a street after Taylor Swift’s great-great-grandfather in hopes of capturing the megastar’s attention.
The village of Castelnuovo Cilento, which has fewer than 100 old-town residents, gave the location its new moniker in honour of Charles Carmine Antonio Baldi.
Charles was the town’s most famous emigrant, who left Castelnuovo in 1877 at the age of 14 to move to Philadelphia with his father and younger brother.
He became a highly successful merchant and businessman, and was regarded as an important figure in Philadelphia’s Italian-American community – but his business empire was far from the only thing to bring fame to his name.
His great-great-granddaughter is none other than Taylor Swift, whose sell-out tours have been known to rake in hundreds of millions of pounds in the cities she performs in.
This phenomenon is known as ‘Swiftonomics’ and has seen the singer’s concerts go beyond generating tens of thousands in ticket sales, also boosting the hospitality sector, retail sales, travel and more.
Taylor’s Eras Tour concerts in London, for example, are estimated to have generated £300 million for the city’s economy.
Meanwhile, according to The Wall Street Journal, the US leg of the same tour – which took place across two years and 51 cities throughout five continents – was estimated to have generated US$5 billion in consumer spending.
Taylor Swift’s great-great grandfather Charles Carmine Antonio Baldi has been honoured with a plaque in his hometown of Castelnuovo Cilento, Italy
In an attempt to cash in on its lucrative connection to Taylor, Charles and his hometown, Castelnuovo Cilento has unveiled a plaque and named a road Via Carmine Baldi in his honour.
According to Italian newspaper Il Mattino, the ceremony was attended by Patrizia Baldi, one of Charles’ descendants who travelled to Italy from the US to watch the plaque being unveiled by Mayor Gianluca D’Aiuto.
She claimed that Taylor’s future brother-in-law, Jason Kelce, whose younger brother Travis Kelce proposed to Taylor last month, is her neighbour in the US.
‘I am sure that we will be able to bring her here, to see this beautiful country, so lovely and welcoming,’ Patrizia was quoted as saying.
Mayor Gianluca said in his speech that the naming of the road, which leads to the Talamo-Atenolfi castle, was an ‘act of gratitude towards those who left our country without ever forgetting their roots’.
He added: ‘We hope the news reaches Taylor Swift; it would be wonderful to welcome her here, in this land that also belongs to her.’
The mayor further told reporters: ‘We have already invited Taylor Swift to visit Castelnuovo Cilento and we are delighted to renew this invitation.’
Taylor’s presence in the small town could be huge for its economy, the mayor’s spokeswoman told The Times.
The village of Castelnuovo Cilento has newly named a road Via Carmine Baldi in honour of its most famous emigrant
The town has also extended an invitation to Taylor in hopes she will visit the home of her ancestor – and bring Swiftonomics with her
‘Like many villages in southern Italy, this town doesn’t have the industry and lives on tourism. It could revive the place,’ she said.
Charles and his wife, Louisa Eurindine Sobernheimer had seven children, including Louise Baldi Douglas, who married Charles Gwynn Douglas.
They went on to have three children, including Rose Baldi Douglas – who married Archie Dean Swift Jr.
Rose and Archie also had three children, one of whom is financial adviser Scott Kingsley Swift.
In 1988, Scott married Andrea Gardner Finlay and they had Austin and Taylor Swift – and the rest is history.
Taylor isn’t the only famous descendent of Charles. He is also great grandfather to Chuck Douglas, a US politician and lawyer who served as US Representative for the state of New Hampshire from 1989 to 1991.
Taylor’s presence in the small town could ‘revive’ its economy, the mayor’s spokesperson said
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The connection between Taylor and Charles came to light after Giuseppe Galzerano, a historian and publisher, went through parish records and reconstructed genealogies.
But it was through Chuck’s 2022 book, titled CCA Baldi, The King of Little Italy, that Giuseppe was able to confirm that Charles’ bloodline extends to Taylor.
Giuseppe is also a distant relative of Charles, and therefore, of Taylor. Recalling the moment he informed his daughter she might be related to the ‘Shake It Off’ singer, he said: ‘She looked at me and said, “Dad, have you gone mad?”.’
Taylor was born in Pennsylvania in 1989. Her great-great grandfather was named ‘one of the most prominent Pennsylvanians and Philadelphians of the 19th century’ by Philadelphia Today.
Giuseppe created a celebratory booklet filled with documents, photographs and family stories about the Baldi family, a copy of which will be delivered to Chuck with an official letter from the town.
Officials hope that the politician will be able to introduce Taylor to their family’s roots in Cilento.
Castelnuovo Cilento is located on a hill above the river Alento, next to the town of Vallo della Lucania and the Ancient Greek city of Velia.
The medieval village is built around a 13th century castle that was believed to function as a military defence. It was passed to the Talamo-Atenolfi family in 1724 and remains under that name today.