One of the grocery stores at which my son shops is reached through steps in the back of a clothing store, going down to the basement.
I am continually fascinated by the use of space in Rome. Most everything seems to be a tiny storefront with the business being conducted behind curtains or down in basements. The pizza place near my apartment had a dumb waiter. Whoever it was responsible for the cooking was in the basement, sending food up as he finished it, directed by the proprietor who shouted down another opening.