Bomboloni caldi

Bomboloni caldi. What a lovely phenomenon! Bomboloni are fresh, hot doughnuts made in the afternoons at four o'clock. They're balls of dough fried and covered in sugar, and they'll even fill it with cream if you ask.

Several of our teachers had mentioned i bomboloni, but I hadn't had a chance to go get them yet. Today was a perfect day, the first sunny day in over a week, and it seemed the perfect afternoon to walk down to Piazza Dalmazia and eat some fresh doughnuts. Becky, Sally and I ventured down through the afternoon rush hour, maneuvering between crowds of children and their parents as they poured out of the schools and onto the sidewalks. After a few errands, we went to the pasticceria (little shop where they bake pastries) for our afternoon treat.

First we were astonished to find enormous chocolate eggs in the windows along with piles of other sweets for Easter. Now, these eggs were not just really big Easter eggs, they were amazing! They had pictures painted on them with frosting, and everywhere was written, "Buona Pasqua!" (translation: Happy Easter) Once we got inside the pasticceria, we were all a little dazed by the assorted pastries calling to us through the display windows. Then a man who worked there walked past us and asked us what he could get us. He started listing off various types of sweets.

Then he said the magic words, "Bomboloni caldi!" We jumped to agree, and he pointed us to a spot on the counter where they had fresh ones sitting on a paper and uncooked ones waiting to be fried. They asked if we wanted cream, and after we agreed the lady squeezed some into each of the doughnuts with a big icing-bag-thing. Then the man got a little plate and they set them on it for us. We each took one and took the first bite. They were warm and perfect! I had sugar all over my lips by the end. Afterwards we looked at each other and agreed to get another.

I very much enjoyed my experience with bomboloni, but I'll definitely have to be careful that I don't start resembling one!