My summer dreams finally came true when I walked into a gelato shop and saw a huge chunk of watermelon sitting atop fresh, pink watermelon gelato.
The only problem was, there was no sign and I hadn’t a clue what the name of the fruit was in Italian. Luckily, the six-year-old girl in front of me was equally enthralled and ordered “anguria.”
Important Italian word of the day? Watermelon is anguria and it is fabulous.
It’s also “adorable-issimo,” a fake Italian word that means incredibly adorable. Watermelons in Italy can be tiiiiiiiny. Sure, you can find standard sized melons, but I can never pass up the cuteness factor of the mini ones.
Italian watermelon is deliciously sweet. I thought the anguria gelato I ordered was filled with sugar, and maybe it was, but stick a spoon in one of these fresh tiny melons and you’ve basically got dessert on your hands:
Om nom nom.
If you’re walking around Rome in the summer, keep a look out for the fresh watermelon stands. You can buy a huge slice for about a Euro and it’s the perfect way to cool off.
YUMMO!!!!!!! So good during the hot summers in Italy!
FYI: Cocomero is a more common word for watermelon.
Yet to have my first water melon of the season, we also use the word Cocomero. 🙂