‘Gnesina la fornara translates from Italian to Agnese the baker, is�a super talented baker:�a skill that made her bakery into a real institution and attraction in�Terracina, a�2500 years old historic city
Agnese runs a very tiny shop hidden in a neglected alley of Terracina’s historic centre; no signs, no lights to recall her presence, just a road sign that says�”baked pastries” and an arrow.
I�interview�this dynamic 70-years old lady on a rather slow�Italian morning. The historic center of Terracina is incredibly silent, a dramatic shift�from�the noisy and crowded mid-summer music nights that it is used to. Tourists are already a memory, and the area has returned�to its usual quietness.
The environment is informal, and more than an interview, we have�a relaxed conversation between two generations. When I first arrive, Agnese isn’t at the bakery;� she lives right at the upper floor of her bakery shop, and spends her day�being around the small neighborhood. Whenever she is needed, her husband�call for her.
At first (to conclude my impressions about the lovely informal character of the place) I didn’t even recognize the bakery shop: as said before, there is no sign to indicate the location of the bakery. The only thing that does so, is a printed paper hanged on the shop’s door, that reads: “bakery by Agnese; for pastries, ring the bell”.
What follows is a�small interview�with Agnese:
When and where did you start working as a baker?
I started working as a baker when I was 19 years old. My father taught me how to make�bread. I have been working in this same bakery for 51 years now; the products have changed but the place remains the same and will always be�up here (near the�historic center). we are in the grace of god.
I saw a nondescript�small sign to direct me to your bakery. Don’t you need some visibility?
No, we don’t. As I said, we’ve been here for the last 51 years: everyone knows where to find us.
What kind of people visit your bakery?
People come from all over the region to visit this bakery.�They are mostly tourists who have a holiday house here, and come every summer. For us, and them, it is a piece of history. What makes me really happy is the fact that many people visitng us even after twenty or thirty years.�This means that we’re doing good.
That is indeed impressive. Which one is your best selling product?
Certainly the wine-flavored crispy donuts. We sell hundreds of them all the year round. Our recipe is�50 years old.
And she couldn’t be more right�about it: the aroma of the donuts�is irresistible, and her legendary wine-flavored donuts do leave a taste of heritage as my trip to this ancient city of Terracina comes to a close.