Viviana's Triumphant Return!

Long-time readers will have noticed that I was a little obsessed last week with that Jewish bakery in the Ghetto.  (As of Tuesday, I hadn't gone in 48 hours.)  Very long-time readers, however, will recall that my roots -- both in Roma and in New York -- lie in Sicilian pastries.  Tuesday was a big day in marking my return to those roots.

My favorite Sicilian pasticceria in Roma (with a great location in Campo de Fiori) is I Dolci di Nonna Vincenza. (www.dolcinonnavincenza. it/sito/prodotto.php?cat=tor&pro=1.)   This is my friend Viviana, who works there.  

Viviana and I became close through our morning chats throughout March.  When Viviana is not at the shop, she is studying fashion.  Viviana is dying to visit New York, is a huge "Sex & The City" fan, and totally <hearts> Carrie Bradshaw.  (BTW, if any of you have connections to Sarah Jessica Parker, please let me know.)  Viviana got along swimmingly with my brother Oooomps (Gregg) and my sister-in-law Irene when they visited in March.

But one day in early April, Viviana wasn't in the pasticceria in the morning.  She wasn't there the next day either.  Or the day after that.  I became nervous and, in fact, her absence was the primary reason I strayed from I Dolci di Nonna Vincenza and visited the Ghetto bakery Boccione in the first place!  (So, I suppose there is a silver lining.)

Well, I asked some of the other workers in the shop, and it turned out that -- while working on one early April morning -- Viviana had an appendicitis attack.  She had surgery to remove her appendix, and she was out for almost a month.  Luckily, Viviana is fine.  She's recovered completely and she returned to work on Tuesday.  

We celebrated with my first Cassata grande in a month.  Doesn't that look good?

It tastes even better.  The juice from the red Sicilian oranges is awesome too.