The initial weekend I came to L'Aquila, in 1994, I discovered two places which were making my mouth water ever since. Ju Boss, the city's oldest wine bar, and the slightly spicy hot pizzette, or mini-pizzas from Pane e Lavoro. LavoroAdesso.com
Ju Boss has reopened, among the few business that may do this on the border of the "red zone" that was the city I loved so much, and it's fans can once more destroying their livers with some of the greatest wine in Italy. But most importantly for me Pane e Lavoro, in the Torrione neighborhood, is open again.
I never have asked them the details about their bakery or their pizzette, I simply buy them and, moreover, I eat them with conviction. It's not the city's most renown bakery, but I've never heard any ill spoken of it either.
They can be found in two sizes: round pizzette that could cover your outstretched hand to the fingertips, and smaller round pizzette that could rest in the palm of your hands. Just pizza dough and a large dash of chunky tomato sauce. Especially the chunky kind.
Torrione is a nearby Silvia came to be in. It's name comes from the "tower" that is actually the final remaining leg of the Roman aqueduct that carried water from sources on the Gran Sasso, the Apennine's tallest mountain, to the baths and fountains of Amiternum. (The ruins of Amiternum are visitable near near one of the largest post-earthquake housing projects the us government is building for the 1000s of us still homeless. But more on that another time.) The tower today is half what it had been last Winter, its ancient bricks littered around like shavings from the hyperactive child's crayon.
The Torrione neighborhood was built following World War II and is today a gateway to the old city. It absolutely was packed with shops as well as apartments and schools. Very few people have now been able to moved back but like grass after having a forest fire, shops are sprouting again.
The Pane e Lavoro bakery is among them. As is a branch of the Pane di Prata bakery. And Il Buongustaio, one of the best little butcher and specialty food stores in town is making the best of things. They're now an affordable but also for unbeatable quality eliminate and have setup several picnic tables under a tent outside.
"Pane e lavoro" means bread and work. What can be quite a more fitting starting place for the reconstruction of L'Aquila than the bakery and what's still standing after 2000 years of Roman bricks and mortar.
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