Hi John,
What a joy to be the one who had to go to the bakery and get the Italian bread! To be the first to rip off the end of the loaf - even without butter, it was great! A bit of heaven on earth when eaten after it had been dipped into the pot of gravy simmering on the stove on Sundays! I remember my Dad having Italian bread delivered every other day and the unwritten rule that there better be an end left for Dad! There was nothing better than being at Grandma and Grandpa's house after Grandpa went shopping on "The Hill" - I'm considered by some to be a good cook, but no matter how hard I try I cannot duplicate the tastes of my youth! Thank you for prompting this trip down memory lane. So when do we discuss Italian confections? - like say Sfogliatelle, my all time favorite!

Nice.

Shopping is small NEIGHBORHOOD shops is really in the past for most of us. Now you can get great food from small shops but you have to drive there.

Gotta love the Crugnales. It's a favorite of my wife's and they serve it at Mama Spummoni (now just Spummoni) in Pawtucket. Lucce's (now Divine) in Warwick would serve a crusty, toasted bread with their dipping oil. Thanks for the piece John,

Great for making Garlic Bread. On another note, Just a heads up. Riccotti's sell you a loaf of their bread for $1.00 plus tax. Ever time I go there people tell me they did not know that. It is great for making garlic bread also or your own grinders.

Have never found their loaf types in any store and it is always frest, from Batista I think.

PS; Great for making "French dip" also ;-}

Many years ago I worked at a Ricotti's sub shop in Rhode Island. To my surprise they bought all their rolls from Piantedosi Bakery in my home town of Malden, Mass.! Apparently, from all the comments here, that is still where they get them. They are the best. Also, when I was a girl my grandma would take me to Nelson's Bakery in the Maplewood area of Malden (long gone now). Their white bread was to die for. It was dark brown (not burnt) and crusty on the outside and melt-in-your-mouth creamy, soft and white inside. The texture is indescribable and I have never had anything like it since.

Wonderful story! Sfogliatelle: is that the clam-shaped pastry with the incredible custard/cheesy filling inside? To die for, but hard to ask for. How the heck do you pronounce it? Puhleeze write out a phonetic spelling and save me from the mortification of trying to describe the best dessert in the universe to clerks that think I'm a wacko...lol.

John, I always enjoy your articles. Don't forget DeLouise. I still run up there at Easter to get their delicious ricotta pie and Easter egg bread. So "Rhode Island"!!

Great Article......Living on the "Hill" in the 50's on Vinton Street, the best italian bread could be found from so many places. I remember as a child going to a little bakery on Courtland Street (around the corner from Tell Street ?). I also would buy some dough so my Mother could make her delicious pizza. If I remeber correctly the dough cost 10 cents per pound back then!!

@ M.A. Waterbury
Cranston Voter
See if this helps: SHH - FOOL- YAH- DEL - LE It tastes better than it sounds!
Another great article John. Thanks

The following sentence should be spoken like Homer Simpson jonesing for a jelly donut. "Hmmmmm, crusty Italian bread from Scialos, I wish I was eating it right now."

I have enjoyed each and every one of your stories. They all take me somewhere pleasant. This one brought me back to 7:00 Mass when we were not allowed to eat before communion. We'd stop at the Italian bakery for a loaf of bread, in a white bag, and hold the warm promise until we got home. Room temperature butter on the crust....can't imagine a better memory. Thank you

Can almost smell the sauce simmering on the stove.
The smell of that Sunday bread.
Dad calling, “…and don’t eat it all on the way home.”
Wondering how I would resist.
Dad’s gone now.
Days seemed liked they would last forever
of course did not.
Haven’t thought about that Sunday bread in years.
Thanks - again - for the memories, John.

You & your readers bring back so many wonderful memories. My favorite bread, and everything else is from Buono's Bakery on Hartfod Ave., Prov. A bit out of the way, but soo worth it.

You & your readers bring back so many wonderful memories. My favorite bread, and everything else is from Buono's Bakery on Hartfod Ave., Prov. A bit out of the way, but soo worth it.

Cranston Voter

Years ago when I was about 10, my grandfather had bread delivered to his house. I don't remember where it came from but it was warm and oh so good. It was delivred early in the morning in a wicker basket with a handle, similar to what you would by tomatoes in now. The loaves lay on a Mopina (italian for dish towel) neatly in a pile. The delivery man known as "Tony the baker" was also a bookie. He used to have these little slips of paper with numbers on them that looked like records for the bread he was delivering. All the while it was the daiily number being played by customers. The early form of the lottery. Any one else have a recollection such as this?

The little bakery on Courtland Street was Buono's. But the best bread was Palmieri's on Ridge Street. All the loaves would be lined up, top to bottom in the glass window. No frills, no doilies. It had the crust that you could break your tooth on. And their wine biscuits were tops too. Then, you could travel to Charles Street and off of it was Simone's Bakerly, with the crown shaped sign that stated, 'THIS IS SIMONE'S BAKERY'. Theyhad great bread and took the prize for pepper biscuits.

Just a little trivia, which most people probably never heard of.

Everyone smells things different and never forgets them, they are unique to everyone. To this day I remember the Pizza smell from the Pizza’s my father brought home from “Café 200” in Newport when I walk into Italian Restaurants. This was over 45 years ago yet the exact smell comes to mind like it is right there, But I have yet to have one that taste exactly like theirs since. Same with the bakeries back then and the local ones all have unique smells. This why we are all so good at remembering these breads I think ;-}
More than sight and sound and touch, smell is the sense most linked to both memory and emotion. Scientists say this is probably because scent is so important to survival.
http://www.how-come.net/2008/08/27/how-does-the-sense-of-smell-help-us-remember-things-from-the-past/

PS; I find that John has a knack for bringing up the best of our memories ;-}.

Music is also a memory rarely lost in us. Though it drives you crazy when you cannot get the song out of your head lol. I like to do a well known Xmas Carol in the summer to drive friends nuts on that lol.

Your Welcome it is uncanny at that. ;-}

I wish I could find the study that say it applies to all scents being unique to each individual, no 2 people smell the same way, it always amazes me the human brains mysteries and quirks lol.

"The Wonder of Italian Bread", eh?

If Silvio Berlusconi's company were to buy the assets of Wonder Bread out of bankruptcy, he would be known as "The Italian of Wonder Bread".

Bah dump bump. Tissssssssssh.

P.S. It is possible to sop up tomato sauce with Wonder Bread, but not advisable to do so.

John, Please tell us a snow story?

I have one JB. LOL

Up on the housetop Reindeer pause, Out jumps good old Santa Claus.
Down thru' the chimney With lots of toys,