The Butcher of Panzano

The sweet sound of La Boheme floated out on the warm spring air in old Panzano, Tuscany. As the grey stone street curved down the hill the music got louder and louder. We passed little shops that looked unchanged for an eternity; the bakers, enoteca, the vegetable shop, all closed because it was Sunday, silent and dark behind their copper-edged windows.

Rounding the corner we spotted a large blue ceramic cow with flowers in her hair standing to the left of the street, while on the right was the only shop open in the village. People were moving in and out, music was playing; it had all the hallmarks of a successful gallery opening back in Australia.

The smell of fresh blood soon disillusioned me. It was a butchers shop but like no other I had seen before. Behind the counter were a husband and wife team of great strength and character, in their forties or fifties, he with a strong Italian face and piercing eyes, she with a dramatic air and original zany glasses. He sang along with a few bars of the aria, and said, “Welcome welcome, come in and try the foods, have a glass of chianti”, and a young apprentice appeared offering drinks.

The place was an assault on the senses from all fronts: the rich smell, loud music, the sawdust beneath the feet, and impressive artwork. On the marble slab inside the shop stood a sculpture two and a half feet high of a classical female nude in graceful pose. Above it a traditional oil painting was beautifully executed, of fruit and fowl, and handsome drawings and prints were casually displayed. On the bench was laid a feast of the proprietor’s wares for us to try; cecchini (lard on bread flavoured with onion garlic and herbs) slices of tuscan bread with the peppery olive oil of the region for dipping, platters of his own salami, mortadella and meat loaf. So were all our senses enchanted by this clever butcher of Panzano. Naturally we bought his meats!

I left with a puzzle, – on the wall outside was a single red rose in a silver vase with a plaque beneath. To my limited knowledge of Italian it read, “In honour of the Florentine beefsteak – died 2002” I still wonder why.