Logbook Entry

Date: 11/18/08
Location: Gaeta, Italy

We walked back from Italian language class on Via Indipendenza, a narrow street with numerous side-alleys built in the 7th Century that is now a pedestrian path lined with all kinds of specialty shops. We stopped in at one of our favorite bread bakeries, Forno Tuscano, for a fresh loaf of pane casareccio (bread baked in a wood oven) and a few samples of a seasonal treat that tastes like small spice cakes which are covered in chocolate. The next stop, just a few doors down on the opposite side of the alley is a deli “Mazarra Anna” where we picked up mozarella di bufalo (fresh buffalo mozarella) that we eat with vine-ripened tomatoes and fresh basil purchased at one of the numerous frutta e vedura (fruit and vegetable) stands. Finally, we stopped in at one of the butcher shops to place an order for turkey next week and walked out with two huge, aged steaks. We don’t eat much red meat these days, but somehow we could not resist. They were so big that Lisa had to cook each in a separate pan, but the effort was worth it. We paired them with the last bottle of Brunello that was hand-selected by Lisa’s brother Bill, a wine expert, while we were in Tuscany last month — a delicious combination.