Gaeta and the philosophy of slow food

Each of these ‘salumerie’ can easily compete (and win)with a well stocked delicatessen section of a large supermarket which can never match the thrilling variety of national, regional and local delicacies that you see in these small shops. A real surprise and delight to shops among local and regional delicacies of which this territory between land and sea abounds. The shopping around and all the interesting sights makes you naturally hungry but at the same time the Mediterranean diet and lot of interesting walking and swimming make loosing weight painless.

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      Market stall selling local
organic goat and sheep cheeses

Gaeta is a paradise for losing weight in a natural, healthy way. Every Wednesday in the new area of Gaeta there is a Flea Market in a large parking lot. There are over 120 different stalls selling every kind of merchandise. The market is always mighty crowded, so be ready to walk slowly under a strong sun. However, the slow walk will give you the chance to see and find exactly what you are looking for.

There is no pushing or rude behavior but mainly smiling and energetic sales people and a large variety of goods to be purchased; these includes food, antiques, tools, all kinds of clothing, shoes, underwear, dishes, pots/pans, and all sort of goods for the home and garden. The flea market is very inexpensive, and some of the merchants will bargain and negotiate in their own animated but cheerful way.

The food here is delicious and prepared with care, especially for the seafood lovers. The mussels are always fresh, literally "right off the boat". The fried calamaris are crunchy outside and tender and succulent inside. The local cuisine uses very often specific pasta of the ‘noodle’ variety. In fact, spaghetti, linguine, pappardelle and lasagna are found very often the local menus. The quality and the freshness of local ingredients such as fresh fish, meats and vegetables makes cooking meals (and eating) a real pleasure. The produce such as peaches, strawberries, blood oranges, lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, onions, and basil are always so fresh and in such good condition because have been just cut from the local home gardens. It is a positive experience to go to market each day to catch sight of the cheerful, smiling people around, shoppers and sellers in their busy bargaining negotiations.

Eating in Italy, lunch or dinner is a consecrated and serious activity. Most of your meals with Italians, especially the Sunday one, would last at least two hours, sometimes three. Gaeta as most of the towns in South Pontino has a good number of sophisticated restaurants. Nevertheless, great (and inexpensive) gourmet meals are often found ‘trattorie’ (a sort of little family-runned restaurants, with typical real family-gourmet cuisine). The typical ‘lighter’ evening menu’ includes at least one antipasti (Italian starter) and a main dish, either the ‘primo’ (the first, usually pasta or rice) or a ‘secondo’ (can be literally any type of meat, fish or other) with a succulent and super-fresh salad, fresh baked bread with a plate of extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar for dipping the hot bread.

Of course, you will also have a bottle of Italian wine. Lazio has a good selection of regional and local wines. It is a pleasure each night for dinner to have a different kind and shapes of pasta with a new distinctive and special sauce accompanied by one of the excellent local wines. Perfect meals are complete only after a dessert. But the ‘Gaetani’ (people from Gaeta) rarely eat a dessert with the meal; as an alternative, they often go out for a walk after dinner and walk to their preferred gelateria (ice cream shop) and enjoy a unique two or three scones family-made ice cream to end tastefully their gastronomic day. But wait am moment! Thinking well, maybe there might be a delicacy which can contend to the home-made ice-cream the crown of king of Italian desserts. This would certainly be a tray of Tiramisu.

Tiramisu is an Italian dessert that is a blend of a crunchy espresso coffee-soaked base of mashed biscuits (my favorite version) or softer sponge cake and mascarpone cheese. For under £4 (or $10) you could buy enough Tiramisu for two to last about one week. In South Pontino you can cheerily satisfy your appetite by enjoying a large three scoops of ice cream with its fresh and crunchy cone after a pizza margherita (the classical) and not feel full or bloated. Well, not in Gaeta or in many part of Italy where preparing the food is an art and also because most is made of natural ingredients with virtually no artificial flavorings. What a way to eat and take pleasure in the food; what a way of living! Here is easier to learn to relax and enjoy the simpler pleasures of life.