Oh, Fiorentina!

The steak shown in the two previous pictures is a standard steak of the sort one now finds in the meat section of an Italian supermarket; they're 1 to 1 1/2 inches (2.5-4 cm) thick and weigh 2-3 pounds (1 to 1.5 k).

If you visit a good butcher, however, you'll find the whole side of the animal (ribs, short loin, and sirloin) in a single piece in the display case, and will be able to ask the butcher to cut your steak much thicker if you want, especially if the beef is Chianina beef, which are very large animals.

The steaks pictured here were cut by Dario Cecchini, a master butcher who express delivers steaks and other cuts all over the world from his shop in Panzano in Chianti.

They're cut from Chianina beef, Tuscany's traditional breed.