Valzani

Before going to Italy I made a list of shops and restaurants, gleaned from websites and guidebooks, that sounded worthwhile seeking out. Of the three chocolate shops on my list, Valzani, which is in the Trastavere neighborhood on an unpromising-looking, narrow, winding lane, was the only one that a) I managed to find and b) was open at the time I found it. And what a find it is! Handmade signs label each confection; other signs proclaim that it's all "our own production." The chocolates come in all kinds of whimsical shapes - scaly fish, violins, lambs, cats - and an even more thrilling array of sizes.

Even an ostrich might be intimidated by the size of these chocolate eggs. Okay, I'll admit it, I had to buy one. I chose the smallest, which at 185 grams is still a pretty fantastic size. It came packaged in a cardboard box, which I finally opened tonight (I had already consumed the other chocolate I bought at this shop, a piece of walnut bark half and inch thick, some chocolate-covered candied orange peel, and a strange confection of crunchy candied fruit in a wafer shape coated in chocolate). At first I was perplexed - it didn't crack open when I squeezed it, even near the seam, and the glossy surface was so smooth it seemed a shame to break it. Finally, with no other choice, I tapped the side without the sugar flowers against the table (wisely, without removing it from its plastic bag). A few hard knocks and the back half broke into big pieces. Inside was a prize - a handpainted green butterfly ornament with a yellow loop of ribbon on top (for hanging on an Easter tree?). The chocolate, of course, was delicious - bitter, crunchy, thicker in some areas and thinner in others - just like I like it. I just wish there were more Valzanis in the world... though considering how addictive it is, it may be a good thing there's only one. And it's on the other side of the world.