One Unique Way to Celebrate Carnevale in Rome

Like so many professions, my attempt as a writer means it will take a lot of time before success is fully realized. To help cover the bills until that day arrives, I took on the side job of teaching private English lessons.

It was my normal Tuesday routine.  I exited the bus, crossed the street and walked toward my destination yesterday afternoon.  On the way to my student's home my path took me through Prati, the part of Rome adjacent to the Vatican City. The area was mostly residential, though like most parts of the Eternal City, commercial businesses offered their services on the ground floor while the remaining nine of each building were for personal use.  That meant people frequented the streets often.

On top of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican City, preparing to climb the dome.

Well the street I was on wasn't so busy.  In fact, besides myself, there were but two others - an approaching grandmother and her grandson of five years at most.  I minded my own business. Mostly, I looked down as I walked because too many residential sidewalks in Rome were plagued by dogs and their careless owners, see my article Better to Look Down When Walking for further explanation. So as I got closer to the pair, I noticed the grandmother stopped to watch her grandson. Nothing occurred to me as being out of the ordinary, even after she chidingly said his name in that long, drawn out way... "Filipoooo."

Meanwhile, Filipo's eyes flicked up at me as I approached and he, too, just as quickly went back to minding his own business.  He strolled slowly like there wasn't a care in the world.  He looked at the wall of the building next to us.  He glanced back to his grandmother wondering if she was watching. He was just an innocent little boy.

And the second I walked directly next to him, he threw an entire fistful of confetti.

Showered by millions of pieces of glittering shapes, I realized I, a complete stranger, had just been tagged by a one-man street gang of five years old.

Happy Carnevale everybody!

Rustic Bean, Sausage and Fennel Soup

It feels like late autumn.  The days are overcast, exuding a darkness that inspires laying in bed. Rain showers intermittently drop through the falling grape leaves covering my walkway. The loosest leaves succumb to the heavy liquid as it drops from the skies, creating a sound absorbing, earthy-smelling cover to the concrete.  The air is more than crisp.  It leaves a chill in my bedroom only a cozy bed can combat, and layers upon layers of covers.

On this fine fall day, it's true, I wanted to stay in bed.  But the refrigerator called and it said, "Feed me." It had been bare for more than a day now and no longer could I live off of the things that never seem to go bad, like chestnut honey or that never ending bottle of vermouth.  Off to the grocery store I went and I was greeted with an Italian, "Good day," by the always pleasant female vagabond who unfailingly sits in front of the store every day, happy to accept any spare coin in my pocket. I reply hello but have no change to give her and walk through the market's doors. 

As it happens, going to the supermarket in Italy is all about timing. My usual store opens at 9:00am.  If you go right when it opens, that's when the employees are restocking the shelves.  These are the times when I know I don't need salad, vegetables or fruit.  Because the produce specialist working that time doesn't seem to get to the task until about 10:00am.  But the locals seem to be keen on this fact, because by 10:30am, the store is packed.  And that's when the battle begins for the red plastic handcarts. 

Already the stack is empty so I walk to the cash registers where people empty their carts to pick one up.  None are there as well.  Just a long line of people waiting to buy their groceries.  But, alas, my luck has arrived, because a lady has only two items left in her cart.  I walk forward slowly, beginning to spelunk my way through the thin passage of overflowing carts and tall people.  Almost there, I think of how to approach the woman as she empties her last item from the cart.  Excuse me, miss, may I have that? Yes, that would be the right way.  I will be formal, polite, and stunningly knowledgeable of how to ask someone for their cart in Italian.

Right when I'm about to open my mouth, my competitor got the best of me, a middle-aged woman who snuck up right behind me, saw an opening, took it, and now stood in front of me asking for the cart.

Cartless, I turn around and peak through the rest of the cashier lanes.  Excellent!  Someone accidentally placed their empty one on the other side, hidden to most, but thankfully, I'm taller than the average Italian, or so I like to think. So I grab that before anyone else can and I'm on the way to grocery buying history.

All I had on the mind was food fit for fall weather.  I needed to make something warm, full of body, something that said this is autumn. And when I got to the butcher section, I saw the excellent variety of sausages, thin, fat, long, short. And right under my nose sat two lonely packages, nearly obscure due to their front positioning. What caught my attention was their sickly dark color. Not gray, not black, but something bordering improper.  Was this blood sausage?  No, not dark enough but I wish it were.  I've made a superb Catalan (spanish) soup using blood sausage before so I wasn't exactly afraid of the stuff. No matter.  It was different than any of the other kinds available and I instantly knew I could create great soup with some complementary products. As I walked away, I noticed these were sitting next to packaged tripe, cow tongue and other offal parts. A good sign.  Those less adventurous may disagree with that notion. 

I grabbed a multicolored bag of dried beans which were considered "rustic" according to the label.  Would you want soup any other way? Then it was off to the produce section and even though I wasn't sure what part of the pig this sausage was made from, I knew some diced vegetables would greatly add to it.  Who could pass up fresh fennel when it looks so good?

Some several hours later, may I present to you... tonight's dinner:  VASGO's Rustic Bean and Fennel Soup, with Pork Liver Sausage.

Photo Source

1 bag of mixed dried beans

3 large stalks celery

4 large carrots

1 medium fennel bulb, fronds removed

1 medium green bell pepper

1 yellow onion

5 cloves garlic

1 Tablespoon dried oregano

1/2 Tablespoon black pepper 

4 links fresh pork liver sausage (if you can find it!)
Any type of crusty, springy bread to soak up the liquid in between bites, such as sourdough.

Speed soak the dried beans in a large soup pot, about 1.5 hours total. Do NOT add salt or your beans will never cook properly. During that, dice all the vegetables, mix all together. In a fry pan, saute vegetable mix with olive oil over medium/medium-high heat until carrot pieces can be pierced easily with a fork. Do in batches if necessary. Add to bean soup/bean broth when beans are ready for their secondary cooking. Add oregano and black pepper to liquid. Place pork liver sausages in the soup and let simmer for an hour or two.  Remove sausages and let cool. Skim fat from soup's surface. Slice sausages into thin rounds. Add back into soup, add salt as desired. Serve. 

Mmmmmm.... home made soup....

I should also mention, a few shakes of the old Tabasco bottle gives it a surprisingly Cajun feel that shouldn't be missed if you like that type of thing.

Playing Sports in Italy

One time, many months ago, I brought a friend with me to a volleyball practice.  She had been an excellent outside hitter from my previous stint in Philadelphia, where I had the pleasure to be teammates with her for a couple seasons. 

Once she arrived in Rome for her semester-long research trip, I thought to myself, This is perfect!  Now there can be TWO Americans on the team!

I brought her to my team’s typical practice session, one of the two nights per week for about 38 weeks of the year, October through June.  Games were usually played on the weekend, so in total, we often played three times a week, sometimes more. For being in the Open Mixed league, about six levels below professional volleyball players in Italy and I should mention this is a coed league if it’s not obvious yet, this level of commitment seemed surprisingly intense.  Back in the States, I had all too much trouble finding anything other than a recreation league. Comparatively, those American adult leagues never involved practices. They simply met once a week to play a match and seasons lasted anywhere from seven to 12 weeks. I'm sure they are out there, but it's not easy to find in Philadelphia, that much I know.

Photo Source: David Schwartz Photography, LLC

But here in Rome, they take their sport seriously.  After talking with my friend Leonardo about Italians and sports, we were both curious how the lineup went as far as the three most popular sports according to our countries.  I told him, “That’s easy.  In the U.S. it's probably a tie for football and baseball.  After that is basketball.”

 “Really?” he said. “Here in Italy, most popular is calcio," which is the name for soccer (big surprise soccer is #1, right?).

Then comes pallavolo, ball flight as the literal translation, or as we know it, volleyball. 

And last of the three most popular sports in Italy is basket, the short name for basketball out here. I should note that there is a true name for basketball and it’s as literal as it gets, meaning ball basket.  In Italian, it is pallacanestro.

I wish I'd known volleyball was so important back when I was in high school.  I would have moved here then, just to be popular.

In the end, my friend from Philadelphia decided it was too much commitment during her four months in Rome. She needed that time to continue her research, which was absolutely understandable.  What I thought important to pass along to the rest of the world is how to go about getting involved in sports teams if that is what you enjoy or if that’s what you want your child to get involved in.  It truly has been one of the best ways to practice the Italian language.

Prior to moving out here, I did as much research as I could and finding a league that suited my skill level was impossible.  Anything that came up was the top seeded Serie A teams. I’m good at volleyball, but I’m not that good. I also thought I was quite good at researching online, using search engines, etc., to find what I needed.  But when you introduce a completely different language, it’s much more challenging.

In Rome or even in the rest of Italy, sport leagues can be found for all ages.  Best to attempt an email to the Centro Sportivo Italiano, found at www.csi-net.it to find out your local offerings and to see who you can email to try out for a team.  Having played in the league for one season now (and winning first place – Go Virtus Prati!) and hearing absolutely nothing about other leagues, this one seems to be the premier sports organization in Italy connecting leagues across the entire country.

On the webpage, there is a link that opens up a submenu.  Hover over the words Contatti Sedi territoriali  then choose your territorial seat where you live – for me, it is Lazio since Rome is in the Lazio region. Then that opens up another submenu of cities in Lazio.  That’s when I click on Roma.

If you are serious about emailing, always apologize at the beginning for not being able to speak in Italian.  Explain in as basic language as possible your situation, your skill level and what sport you are looking for so when they google translate it, it won’t be awful to understand. For them, it will only be mostly bad. J

How to Buy the Cheapest Train Tickets in Italy

We will just pretend that I never stopped posting for the two months.  Times get busy, other writing projects require more attention, 1000-page books turned American TV series (hint: the author is George R.R. Martin and I'm proud to be on the bandwagon) make the hours go by like it was seconds and minutes. And who knows, maybe a last minute trip to Venice made up the reasons why I've been away from the VASGO.

But when the national Italian train travel provider, called Trenitalia, offer one way tickets all over the country for as low as 9 euro per person, it's hard to back off.  Seriously, while drifting from item to item on the menu, I realize to myself, "Well, I could order this secondo piatto, the second plate in the multicourse Italian dinner usually consisting of a meat entree like Veal Scaloppine."

Or I could spend that amount to go up to Venice and see this:

Or Milan, Naples, Bologna, Florence, one of the Cinque Terre cities.

It's called Super Economy.  They are only available for purchase online.  And on Trenitalia's website, it's not the easiest to find.  But they are there, you just need to go looking.

First of all, you need to know what the cities are called in Italian, which by default means the name is different in its English form.

For example, if you travel to Rome, you likely want the largest hub station, called ROMA TERMINI.

Venice is tricky too.  If you want to arrive ON the island, you need the last Venice stop, called VENEZIA S. LUCIA. Any earlier, and you'll wonder why people are actually speaking Italian to you!  (The joke is that when you are in Venice, it seems everyone speaks English because it's so heavily toured.)

Really, knowing your precise train station takes just a bit of research on your end if you are unfamiliar with the station names in the Italian language.  I suggest google maps to help out in that case.  Some of my best travels through Belgium were easily navigated because of my prior research.

Next, choose a date, any date.

MOST IMPORTANT - click on the box that says "Find The Best Price", right under the date sections.

This will unveil the multitude of excellent prices, or the higher ones because you were too late on the days you chose.  That's right, you have competition, so get the good prices while you can. Typically, it starts at 9 euro per way for the best price, then 19, 29, 39 and so on.

With a little planning, you can save a lot of money during your tour of Italy.

How to Get to Rome from Fiumicino Airport (FCO)

How to Get to Rome from Fiumicino Airport (FCO)

Getting to Rome can feel like the most complicated thing if you aren't a frequent world traveler. Signs are not well placed, directions don't seem to be translated well enough to make sense and every time you stop to ask for help, either you can't understand the person well enough, or they talk you into using a company because their friend owns it and will give you a great price.

Yeah right.

Number One: Know your end destination. 

Too often, the visitors coming to Rome who I know tell me Termini Station is near their hotel, or the hotel tells them that's where they have to get on the metro to get to the stop closest to their hotel. Termini is likely to be your destination (at least from the airport's point of view) if you are the average tourist without a contact out here.

Other people many times go to the other two choices: Trastevere Station or Ostiense Station.

Getting off at Trastevere Station is great for those whose final destination is in such neighborhoods as Monte Verde, Trastevere, Prati (the Vatican City area) and others on the west side of the Tiber River.

Getting off at the Ostiense Station crosses the Tiber and is great for those whose final destination is in such neighborhoods as Testaccio, Garbatella, the Aventine Hill, and honestly those who want to save euros on travel to get to the center of the city.

Number Two: Decide how much you want to spend against how fast you want to get into Rome.

• 4 Euro bus ride through a private company to Termini Station is the best I've seen (currently offered here), 1 Euro subway/tram/bus ticket to your next destination if applicable. I've seen many bus companies offering 6 Euro per way.
• Longest potential wait time before departure. Duration of travel dependent on traffic, around 55 minutes, could be more than an hour easily.
• 8 Euro for a train to Trastevere Station, 1 Euro tram/bus ticket to your next destination if applicable.  
• Duration: 26 minutes. Departs every 15 minutes typically.
• 8 Euro for the same train, just goes to the next stop, Ostiense Station, 1 Euro subway/bus ticket to your next destination if applicable.  
• Duration: 32 minutes. Departs every 15 minutes typically.
• 14 Euro for a train to Termini Station,  1 Euro subway/tram/bus ticket to your next destination if applicable. 
• Duration: 32 minutes. Departs every 30 minutes typically.
• 25-50 Euro for a Taxi. Shared taxi travel is cheaper, haggling is highly recommended for better prices. 
• Shortest potential wait time before departure.  Duration of travel dependent on traffic, could be 45 minutes to more than an hour easily.

Number Three: Find your departure location at the airport.

Finding a taxi is simple. Walk straight outside after you pick up your bags. It's hard to miss the longs queues for a taxi or the random taxi driver ready to haggle with you for a "good price". 

Talk with your bus trip provider to find out where they pick up from.  For example Terravision buses pick you up outside Terminal 3, bus parking number 3. Simple!

IMPORTANT NOTE #1: If you choose a taxi and attempt to haggle for it, make sure you have the address of your final destination in Italian. The last time I took a taxi, he didn't have GPS and so he traveled all over one particular nieghborhood trying to find the correct street. His street map just didn't get the job done.  Eventually, we made it there.  And yes, he expected a tip.

IMPORTANT NOTE #2: Taking the bus? Give a tip if you are feeling extra generous. It shouldn't be expected though.

The rest of the instructions apply to those traveling via train.



Number Four: Go to the Train area

1. Once you get your bags, exit the baggage area and go to the "customs" line.
1. Which is mostly nothing in Italy... look for a double doorway where there is usually no one there to check your bags. If there is, they certainly don't ask you questions.  In fact, it's almost guaranteed that you won't have your passport stamped.
2. Once through the doorway, walk into an open hall where people congregate to greet their arriving friends. 
3. Most cases I have found that you will turn right and head down the long hallway. 
4. Follow the signs for the train. In most cases, after a surprisingly long walk down the hall, you turn left to take an escalator down, continue straight, take escalators back up, and it forces you into a dead end where you take a right turn. 
5. Pass through the small corridor, please note the large format paper with train times/final destination cities in a glass panel located on the wall in that small corridor.  You may have to walk back over there to see when the next train time is.
6. You are now in the Train area.

Number Five: Buy your train ticket(s)

1. Walk across the train station hallway and then look for the windows down on the far right.  It should say TRENITALIA. 
2. Get in line for the windows that have the Trenitalia screens over them, not the tourist ticket places. 
3. Tell the ticket agent at the window "Un biglietto per Roma Ostiense (or Roma Trastevere, or Roma Termini)," One ticket for Rome Ostiense. They take credit cards, or you can pay in cash. 
1. SIDE NOTE: Using your credit card at the do-it-yourself ticket machines typically does not work.  U.S. credit cards do not have the same PIN technology that European credit cards have in them and therefore do not allow the transactions to occur.
4. The agent will hand you the ticket(s) you just bought.

Number Six: Validate your ticket(s) before going on the train and then find your train and get on board.

1. Every ticket you buy needs to be stamped at the yellow, box-like validating machines.
1. They are located on each side of each platform just before you get to the train itself.They are not huge and relatively easy to pass if you are not paying attention.
2. Look at the screen above each platform. Choose the train you board based on its destination.
1. If you need to exit the train at Trastevere or Ostiense, go on the train that says on its screen Ostiense ... or Orte ... or Fara Sabina. They all go through these two stations. 
1. This is a regional train with multiple stops from the airport.  It's wise to pay attention to the stops.
2. This is the one you get on if you bought that 8 Euro ticket!
2. If you need to exit the train at Termini, go on the train called the Leonardo Express.  The digital sign before the train will say TERMINI.  
1. This should be a direct, non-stop train from the airport to Termini Station.
2. This is the one you get on if you bought that 14 Euro ticket!
3. Board the correct train!
4. Check your watch from the time you leave. Once 25 mins pass, make sure to look at each station's name. 

VERY IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT TRAIN TRAVEL IN ROME

Trenitalia does a sub-par job on telling you which station you are arriving at next. Sometimes their digital signs work, sometimes the audio messages work, but most times they don't!  So be ready to exit the train with a moment's notice.  Each station will be clearly labeled when you stop there so pay attention. The trains don't give you a lot of time to exit at the stations so make sure you are ready to exit when you the train comes to a halt.  Be at those doors ready to step off the train, not just out of your seat.

Heed these instructions. Here's what happens to you if you don't pay attention to what stop you get off at. 

You don't want to be waiting for that next train, bored like him, do you?

How To Use The Metro, Rome's Subway System

Before I moved to Rome, I always wondered if there were How-To documents out there so I could have SOME idea of what I was getting myself into.  It's easy to get lost if you come from place where you don't use public transportation.  So today, I thought I'd make all your lives a little bit easier if you are headed to the Eternal City.

How to Use the Metro,  Rome's Subway System:

It's quite simple, really.  Currently, there are two lines, the A line and the B line.  A third one, the C line is being built as I type this.  The city is diligently working on this additional line and it's said to be open sometime in 2013 though I won't be surprised if a delay occurs.  After all, they are digging through ancient grounds and if they come upon something truly special all processes are on hold until it can be excavated, preserved, etc.

First things first: buy your ticket! Un biglietto per favore. One ticket please. Pretty much every single subway station has an automated machine to purchase a ticket. If you are in town for longer than a day or two, you'll be better off going to a Tabacchi store (the store on every major street with a big T on it's sign outside) to buy weekly passes (16 Euro) or even a monthly pass (30 Euro).  If I recall, there's a 3 day pass for 11 Euro too.  All passes are good for Metro, bus, and even local train travel within the city limits of Rome.

NO, YOUR PASS IS NOT VALID FOR GETTING TO AND FROM THE AIRPORTS IN ROME. In the future, I will provide specific instructions on how to get to Rome from the airports.

Second, insert your pass into the scanner.  It's like a vending machine slot you put money bills into, except only public transportation passes fit into it.  Normal tickets from the automated machines as well as most passes bought from tabacchi stores work this way.

If you bought one of those all-encompassing tourist passes such as the ROMA PASS, you just swipe the card in front of the reader (above the scanner slot) until the light turns from red to green (usually it takes 3 to 5 swipes until it FINALLY recognizes that your pass is valid). Regardless of which pass you use, you'll know if it worked because the glass panels blocking your way will open allowing you to go through.

Third, choose your direction! Sometimes you have to choose your direction BEFORE you go through the entrance panels.  But most times, my experiences tell me you will perform this step next.  You choose your direction based on the last stop on the line.  The end points.  Not sure what your end point is?  There is always a map somewhere in the station for you to look at if you are desperate.

Metro A Line end points: Battistini (Left side) and Anagnina (Right side)

Source

Metro B Line end points: Laurentina (Left side) and Rebibbia (Right side)

Source

Termini Station is where the two lines intersect.  If you are ever in Termini trying to transfer from one line to the next, just follow the large signs with arrows that point down stairs or up stairs with the words LINEA A ---->, or LINEA B ----->.  Generally, a crowd of people are doing exactly what you are trying to do so stay alert and they might just be the guide you were hoping to follow.

Fourth, and once you've chosen which direction to go, you wait behind the yellow line on the platform.  A train arrives and you get on the train in that narrow window of time while the doors are open.  10 seconds total maybe? 15 seconds possibly?  The more people at the station, the longer the conductor will keep the doors open. It's not very much though so be quick! But don't forget to be courteous.  Let the people off the train first!  Too many tourists and locals forget this.

Fifth, know which stop exit the train.  Every car has a map of the A Line or B Line in it depending on which line you are on, which are usually located above the car doors.  Also, some of the transports used are newer than others meaning out of the car's speakers come first an Italian voice telling which stop is next and which side to exit, then in English.  But you don't always get a new car.  When you arrive at each stop, look through the windows and pay attention to the walls of the station so you have a clue which one you are at. There is always text letting you know which station is which.

APPLY THIS KNOWLEDGE: For example when I am at Termini Station and I want to go to the Piramide stop to get some great food in the Testaccio neighborhood, or to go home since that's where I live, I have to get on the Metro B line going in the direction of Laurentina.  Then I have to take it four stops (From Termini, it goes Cavour, Colosseo, Circo Massimo, and finally Piramide).

Don't forget to exit the vehicle and good luck!

Current hours for both the Metro A and B lines are as follows and of course, subject to change:
Sunday - Thursday: 05:30 - 23:30
Fridays and Saturdays: 05:30 - 01:30

Need more info?  I recommend this site.  http://www.atac.roma.it/index.asp?lingua=ENG

How to Harvest Olives for Olive Oil

Ready boys and girls? Get out your ladders, plastic rakes and fine mesh netting because it's the middle of fall and the olives shouldn't be allowed to get much riper.  You wouldn't want the olive oil to taste bitter, would you?

just VASGO presents:   How to Harvest Olives for Olive Oil

#1: Set up two very large, fine mesh nets under your olive trees.  Best to buy some large plastic clips to keep them secured together.  That last thing you want to do is let those savory fruits fall through and have to pick them up by hand.

#2: Make sure the olives have a place to gather if your trees are planted on a slope.  Remember, the purpose is to make sure you collect the olives, not just see how far they can roll down the hill.

#3: Grab a plastic rake and start pulling those olives down!  Be careful not to step on them though.  First of all, it makes the bottom of your shoes dirty.  Secondly, you do not want to press already-squished olives.  Once the meat on the small fruits is exposed to oxygen, flavors change and eventually things become bitter.  Or more simply stated, not good tasting.

#4: Get up in the tree or on your ladder and get every last one of those olives off the tree.

#5: Admire all of your hard work accomplished.

#6: Start from the top of the slope and begin pushing the olives down the hill for collection.

It never hurts to remove some of the leaves and branches while pushing them all together.

#7: Carefully pour the olives into bins.  When full, you will use these to transport them safely to the commercial olive pressing company.

#8: Load them up on your wagon to make transporting up the hill easier.

#9: Spill your olives that you worked so hard to gather carefully.

#10: Call everyone over and beg them for help to pick up all the olives you spilled.

#11: Ask this guy to stop making fun of you for spilling his olives.

#12: Wait a few days for the owners of the olive trees to let you know they had the olives pressed and the bottle of oil that was promised to you is waiting for pick up.

And that's it!  So easy!

Olive harvesting is good exercise, good family fun and relatively inexpensive depending on where you have to travel to reach the farm.  For example, my round trip train ticket to this plot of land in Umbria only cost me 10 Euro.  All you have to do is look online to see who needs your help!

And now, a short video of what it was like out there.

How to Make a Speck and Brie Panini

Every now and then I get inspired to recreate that dish a had once-upon-a-time ago.  Today is my first introduction to the world that just VASGO is also a cooking blog.  Surprise!  So follow along, go buy the necessaries and enjoy the meal as much as I do.

Speck and Brie Panini

First you'll need the following:

• Speck 
• Brie
• Arugula
• Any kind of good, thick bread.  I chose Ciabatta.

I'm sure you're all asking at this point, ""What the heck is Speck?"  And anytime you have a question, please insist that it rhymes like I just did.

Well your answer is this: think lightly smoked proscuitto.  It's still porktastic.  It's thin sliced, salty and delicious and it's flavors are honestly unlike any other meat I've ever had.  Want the full story on speck?  Here's the wiki link to it - Speck.

I remember when I lived in Philadelphia and wanted to make this panini it was a somewhat difficult item to find.  Some specialty stores such as Trader Joe's or Whole Foods may have it if you're lucky. If not, go to your local Italian grocer as they might have it there.  If they don't, put in the request.  It's worth it even if you have to buy a large cut and slice it yourself at home once it arrives from their vendor.

However, some people don't feel that Speck-Finding is a fun scavenger hunt.  So if you have no other choices, good old prosciutto will be an OK replacement.

Let's begin.

Slice that bread and lay it all out.  Life is always easier when it's laid out in front of you.  

Now cut the cheese.  Ok.... I sense snickering in the background.  I swear that was an honest slip.  Now cut the Brie.  It's important to note that too much brie can be overwhelming, especially when you don't use a lot of speck.  Here I decide to use half a slice for each sandwich, and cut those again so they act as glue on both sides.

Then you have to add Arugula.  Nice bitter, peppery leaf.  Adds a wonderful touch to the sandwich.

Then it's Speck time.  See it?  It's actually translucent!  I love this stuff and am so glad it's everywhere here in Italy.

Then add a piece to each sandwich.  If you have more, I suggest using more because it tastes, well, awesome. And in that case, add more brie too!

Fold those puppies over making sure nothing falls out.

Light up the stove and toast them to golden goodness.  No oil or butter necessary. If you have one of those fancy panini presses or heavy food bricks that sit on top of sandwiches, use it.  My spatula only smashes so much.  Take care to not over-toast the bread.  When in doubt, rely on your nose!  Bread clearly ramps up to a full burning smell if you pay attention closely.

And there you have it - Speck and Brie Panini. 

And what a combo!  Heating the sandwich causes the brie cheese to be warm and gooey, helping relax how dry the sandwich would have been.  The meat is outstanding and the arugula adds the perfect touch of bitter and pepper.  Combine that with the crunch of perfectly toasted ciabatta and you will be asking yourself where the next round of panini are.

Buon Appetito!