The Butcher-Preacher of Panzano - Dario Cecchini and Solociccia

Those of us meat-lovers who have made the obligitory pilgrimage to the modest macelleria of Dario Cecchini in Tuscany's Chianti region can't help come away feeling renewed. Released, if only temporarily, from the cultural burden of a society that drubs us endlessly with sermons on the deadliness of meat, of fat, of carbohydrates, and often of the air we breath--our lives are refreshed by the iconoclast Cecchini as he extolls the virtues of good ingredients from the pulpit of his shop:

When you hear Dario preach, which is what he does, not just speaking, but preaching his gospel according to Dario on not just beef, but life from behind the butchers stand, which serves as an altar and pulpit, sermons to the beat of whatever music has stolen Dario's attention that day. ~ SoloCiccia Review

Maybe I'm in the minority, but the world could sure use more Dario Cecchinis, if only to offer up some hope in a world drowning in the dreck of corporate food-like objects made "delicious" and "healthy" through advertising and faux science. He's funny, he's entertaining, and he provides a unique voice in the overgrown food wilderness. You just have to visit.

And a visit might just be made more enjoyable when you go to Dario's new restaurant, where he can practice what he preaches. Yes, SoloCiccia ("only meat" although the word also refers pretty strongly to "fat" as well) will serve you five courses of meat (and yes, vegetables as well) on Thursday through Sunday (lunch only). See a review of SoloCiccia on Over a Tuscan Stove (link via Bytes of Italy - Dario Cecchini, Chianti's Dante-Quoting Butcher)

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