After two days of searching for hot chocolates in Rome and finding only amazing gelato instead (tough luck I know…), I was starting to wonder if Rome had any really good hot chocolates. My search wasn’t getting me very far. Yes, they are beautifully smooth and thick, but that thickness isn’t chocolate, it’s cornstarch, and too often you can taste it. Instead, I decided to switch to exploring Rome’s chocolate desserts, of which there are many, and that was infinitely more satisfying. With this new focus, it wasn’t long before I was rewarded with not only a good dessert, but surprise good hot chocolate! but it wasn’t Roman at all, but thanks to Sicily.
Nonna Vincenza was born in Enna, Sicily and loved pastries so much that she started making them when she was only six. In 1997 she opened her own pastry shop and has been making traditional Sicilian sweets since then. The most popular item on the menu here is definitely the cannolo, a tube shaped, fried pastry shell filled with sweet, creamy filling, in my case, chocolate.
We came here because they claim to have the best cannolo al cioccolato which it was for me, although I’ll admit I am not expert. The counter is packed with regulars, many taking little breaks from work to have a quick espresso, a little cannolo, a little chat, throw a few coins on the counter and then return to work. We find a table with a view of all of this, and linger for as long as we possibly can to let our tired feet rest from all the walking (looking for chocolate desserts is tough work). The hot chocolate is dark, the perfect thickness, pudding like but still drinkable. It is velvety and has a classic chocolate flavor. The slight bitterness in the drink is balanced by the generous sweetness of the cannolo so yes, you should not limit yourself to ordering just one of the two. They are meant to go together.
Rome is a walking city. if I had one tip for visiting Rome it would be to not plan it too much. A first timer will be tempted, understandably, to pre book visits to all the major sites, the Vatican, the Colloseum. Each will take a good part of the day to visit between the lining up and walking, packed in like sardines, through the buildings. But that isn’t Rome. Rome is best discovered by exploring without any plan and luckily there will always be gelato stops or bakeries to fuel your journey. If you walk right out of the caffe, you will reach the Tevere river and to the left you are close to the markets of Campo de’ Fiori.
I Dolci di Nonna Vincenza, Via dell’Arco del Monte, 98 dolcinonnavincenza.com
