Hey, Mick, we have two very similar kinds of toast here in Italy, very similar to what you describe.
One is called "focaccia" (I mean the original focaccia from Genova)

It is fresh bread dough, with extra olive oil and salt, kneaded with your knuckles and baked.
The combination of the wheat, oil and salt are an easy,cheap and very efficient way of getting your carbohydrates !!!
Tasty, too !
The other kind is a dry salted biscuit called "galletta" (if you're a seafarer) or "fresa" (if you're a farmer)

GALLETTA

FRESA or FRESELLA
They are either baked with no yeast, and cmoe out of the oven rock hard, or are baked, sliced in half (like you would with a bagel) and rebaked until biscuit-brown.
They will keep for... years...
Then, you simply sprinkle water (or just dunk them) until they're soft, and apply dressing as per your tastes.

GALLETTA

FRESA or FRESELLA

Now, where did I puit that white wine...