A visit to an ancient Roman bakery

Down the River Tiber from Rome is the huge archaeological site of Ostia Antica, which used to be the main port for the city. It’s all ruins now, of course, and open to the elements, but still incredibly suggestive. As you stroll around under the umbrella pines, it’s hard not to daydream about what things might have been like a couple of thousand years ago. In my case, with very little formal education in the matter, those daydreams are pretty foggy. When I get to something I know a little about, like a bakery, the fog clears a bit and I can begin to see some details.

With a real expert, however, things really come to life, so I was absolutely delighted to be able to visit the Mulino di Silvano at Ostia with Farrell Monaco, who has studied, and brought back to life, the canonical bread of Ancient Rome.

She brought the bakery back to life for me. It was a total treat.

Notes

1. Farrell Monaco’s website is at Tavola Mediterranea and she’s on Twitter and Instagram too.
2. Photos taken by me, on site.
3. Additional music by staticpony1, messed about with a bit.
4. Yes, there is a transcript.

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