Ventotene: Tonino Missing at the Bakery

Every Ventotene stay means daily visits to the Aiello Forno (“bakery”). As I walked in this visit, past the refrigerator with ice-cream cakes and turned towards the cash register, I’d hoped to greet elderly Tonino, owner – and once the island baker.

Heading towards the bakery

Forno Aiello

Sign outside the bakery tells you all about the goodness inside

Just inside the entryway, the ice cream cakes

He wasn’t there. Son Gioacchino was at the register. “We lost our papa’ in July,” he told me. I offered “sincere condoglianze” to Gioacchino and his sister, Francesca, as always, behind the counter cutting pizzas, wrapping pastries, weighing loaves of bread for customers.

Giocchino at the cash register now

….and Francesca serves up customers

We’ll miss Tonino. He lives on in the goodness of Forno Aiello:

And at the forno, traditional flavors are joined by novita’ (“new items”): this summer, taralli con lenticchie (a baked savory ring with lentils in the dough – and this island is famous for lentils) flank the traditional simple taralli and tomato taralli.

Taralli al pomodoro

Taralli alle lenticchie (with Ventotene lentils)

New pizzas, too: pizza with figs and prosciutto and pizza with sliced winter squash on top.

Pizza con prosciutto e fichi

Piazza con la zucca (“winter squash”)

I’ll try the fig pizza tomorrow. Today, I tried the tasty squash one, although later in the morning: here on Ventotene, our days always start with an espresso together with an Aiello pasta frolla filled with local ricotta.