Discovering Schiacciata

Yesterday Lorenzo took me on a special trip into the hills of Florence. We went to a little village called Chiuesa Nuova where he used to have band rehearsals and singing lessons back in the day.

The purpose of our trip was we Schiacciata. Schiacciata is a big sandwich with Focaccia type bread (although it is not the same things and this is where the name comes from–schiacciata means something along the lines of “flattened”). We had ours with Pecorino (my FAVORITE!) and prosciutto, it was a salty combination but a much welcomed change from the saltless bread of Florence.

When Lorenzo was a kid he said that every Saturday his family made a trip to this grocery to get the Schiacciata. I was happy to have been introduced to this tradition! I wanted to take photos but as I looked around and the Italians enjoying their Saturday afternoon and sandwiches, I decided that I was much more interested in being a part of this lifestyle then documenting my every move. There are times to be a tourist and to document all the “firsts” and there are times to just remember them, I chose to keep this one in my memory. I did however, make an attempt to capture the beautiful hillside from the car window, hence the photo here but it doesn’t even begin to describe what I saw.

I suppose it’s this inability to capture the images I see that makes me what to be a good photographer, because I want to be able to share with my friends and family all of the things that I see, that are so different and beautiful but I don’t think the digital snapshots quite get the point across. I’ll keep working on it!

This weekend has been a little bit more low-key, we didn’t plan any big events but I think that hillside visit and huge gelato were just want I wanted! Next week I am heading to Rome for some training with my new teaching position! I am sure I will have plenty to say when I get home next Sunday!

Until then…