On an early February jaunt with Pino to L’Aquila to see a restoration job for his crew, we pulled off the road at a small hut, La Baita, near Rieti.
La Baita is an obligatory stop for us as we head to L’Aquila and later in the day, as we return home to Assisi. Usually, we stop for espresso and pastry in the morning and un panino di porchetta (or panino with grilled local sausage and marinated peppers or eggplants) on our way home.
Temptations for a tasty panino on the way home:
But when I saw Dea (“dea” = “goddess”) – “the goddess of porchetta” – slicing up the goodness that morning, I couldn’t resist: at 10 a.m, I had a bit of porchetta on bread (not the full panino!) along with bubbly mineral water with a dash of vino rosso. (Too early for a glass of wine!).
Rita flanked her mamma Dea behind the counter and served up Pino’s espresso and his cornetto (croissant)……as Signora Dea kept slicing. She makes about fifty panini di porchetta each morning. They’ll disappear quickly when many an area worker drops in for lunch.
Signora Dea wrapped some porchetta slices up for us – we’ll have it for dinner, salad on the side. Perfect end to a day in L’Aquila
La Baita, a stop, too, on the way home…
That mountain majesty surrounding L’Aquila:
Read more – and see! – why we alway stop at La Baita
Read more about La Baita
Read about – and see our La Baita friends – here
Read about nearby Rieti and this town’s food festival
Read about inexpensive good-eating in L’Aquila
