Michael googled a great place to eat for dinner this evening: La Fettunta. We slowly made our way over to the street. People sat on the sidewalks, curbs, and doorsteps that lined the street on the way to the restaurat. We found our place and were given a table. The man who seated us told us that sandwiches were served outside. Ok? We took our seat and began looking at the menu. It was so hot in that room. I thought maybe it was because we just walked here, but no. I looked past Michael at a woman sitting at a nearby table, and she wiped sweat from the side of her face. I said to Michael, “that woman just wiped sweat from the side of her face. Let’s get out of here.” He agreed. We told the man we wanted sandwiches and he pointed next door.

We walked into the next door place, still La Fettunta, and I was quite pleased to see the big slab of porchetta in the display case. Delish! A very Italian man, wearing a black leather jacket (that’s how you tell), sat on the stoop of the shop, eating the most amazing looking sandwich I’ve ever seen, and drinking an ice cold Coca Cola out of a glass bottle. He looked like a Coca Cola commercial. He made that Cola look so damn refreshing. And I wanted that sandwich.

I asked him what he was eating, and with his mouthful he laughed and yelled Italian to the woman working. She came over and began speaking English to us. She explained how it worked—choose bread, meat, cheese, vegetables, and sauce… wait a minute. SAUCE?! Please tell me this is real. We haven’t had mayo or aioli or any kind of sauce on a sandwich since Canada. Oh my gosh. I didn’t realize how much I missed sauce until I felt the familiar ‘about to happy cry’ lump in my throat as I read the list of available sauces: garlic, Gorgonzola truffle, sun dried tomato, truffle cream. Holy shit. Pinch me. I pointed at the man sitting on the stoop, drinking his Coca Cola in slow motion, “what’s that?” Pizza bread, porchetta, garlic sauce, melted cheese, fresh tomato. “I’ll have exactly that.” She laughed. Michael ordered sausage, with fresh tomato, melted cheese, and the Gorgonzola and truffle sauce.

We took our seats on the curb outside the shop, and began. This is absolutely, without a doubt, one of the top 5 meals we have had in Italy so far. Maybe even top 3. Maybe even number 1. This sandwich changed my life tonight. Michael just laughed at my totally genuine reaction to the sauce.

We sat on the sidewalk, feet in the street, eating our FUCKING UNBELIEVABLE sandwiches, drinking our Birra Morretti (my new favourite Italian beer), and chatting. It’s absolutely amazing that we don’t run out of stuff to talk about. Best sandwich ever. Best evening ever.