Why we moved to Italy - Part Infinity

 Why we moved to Italy - one more reason

Above is just one more reason we moved to Italy more than two years ago. Above you see a loaf of bread, commonly called ciabatta since it's kind of like a kind of slipper. Think of the flip-flops many people wear. Zio Lorenzo can hop on his shopping bike and in about 5 minutes arrive at a panificio where he can buy a freshly baked one of these still-warm from the oven, for about 75 US cents. If he's too lazy to do that he can walk about 200 feet to a local alimentari and buy one (that might also still be warm!) for about $1.20 US.

Back in Iowa (or even in toney Santa Barbara when visiting the in-laws) something like the "bread" shown above was about the best he could get. This "ciabatta" cost more like $4 and even right out-of-the-oven (it's a par-baked thing you finish baking at home) wasn't even close to the quality and taste of the real thing. A lot better than nothing, but one of these things each day adds up to some real money vs the pennies we spend here.

And don't even get Zio started on the gawdawful stuff sold as bread at places like Panera! Zio still remembers going in the newly opened franchise in Sioux City and asking to see where they actually MADE their bread, only to be told by the manager it all came off a truck...already mixed up, formed into loaves and FROZEN, then simply baked on-site, the same way the Subway sandwich shops do theirs. Even worse, their arrival hastened the exit from the city of the one guy who actually made and baked good bread, though his was also far from 75 cents a loaf.