Let me see your salami!

Thought I'd share my new favorite spot in Italy.  I found it while strolling through Siena the other day.  Siena is the closest city to me, only 20 minutes by car.  The old part of the city is a labyrinth of narrow alleys and corridors.  It was actually designed to confuse enemy invaders and I imagine it is still working to disorient tourists.  

I'm standing in front of a salumi shop; the bike is merely a decoration.  Given my fondness for food, I could not resist.  The aroma of the curing meats and cheeses was intoxicating.  I witnessed new shapes and sizes of salumi, all handcrafted on the premises.  I chose the cingahle (ching-ga-lay) proscuitto and a local young pecorino cheese.  The cingahle is the local wild boar and is used in nearly all the same manners as we (Americans) use pork.  The Italians have a long and rich history of wild boar hunting and actually bred some of the bull terrier dogs to aid in controlling the fierce beast before administering the death-blow.  Needless to say it was truly delicious.  I used my elementary Italian to explain to the young butcher that I am living on a nearby farm and learning to make salumi.  Despite this intimate connection we shared around curing meat, we would not allow pictures to be taken inside.  Sorry, you're stuck with me and the shop window....