visited with a friend from Pisa (leaning tower) whose family keeps a home in Forte, a discreet resort town with a long stretch of sand on the Versilia coast. along with that summer's memories of tanned belle ragazze was a first taste of bottarga (di muggine), salt-cured mullet fish roe from Sardegna. simply crumbled over a light sauté of evoo, garlic, parsley, lemon, chili. tossed into al dente spaghetti, then more bottarga shaved-on at table. my hosts thought this might be too adventurous. i l o v ed it. have had more since but that primo at Maitò was mmmemorable.
trivia: Michelangelo built a road in Forte dei Marmi "fort of marble" in 16th AD to transport the famous grey-white rock, used in sculptures, still quarried from Carrara (30min north). read more