Life in the Ville by Jimmy Del Ponte

La Ronga Bakery has been gone for a while. Now the entire building is also gone. I’ve heard that they are building a 12-story research building in its place. I don’t know if that’s true or not but it still means we lost one of Somerville’s most loved businesses, again.

La Contessa, Patsy’s, Roma and now La Ronga are all former loved bakery’s that are now history. The following are comments and memories of La Ronga bakery via social media.

“Waiting in line for rolls for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Also, their lunch specials. Miss this place.”

“Day old loaves of scali for a quarter.”

“I remember my grandfather stopping there every Sunday to get a French bread. Also, getting French rolls every Thanksgiving!”

“The warm loaf of French bread we shared with the neighborhood kids walking home after going to the ice-skating rink on a Saturday morning.”

“The aroma ahhhhh.”

“Near closing I’d stop in to get a couple slices of pizza. They would usually give me about four or what was left. As a young child when they first opened, my mother would send me there with 60 cents, six slices 10 cents each. Always friendly and looked forward to going in.”

“I surely remember the LaRonga, but I remember when it was Parziale Bakery. My brother-in-law Richie’s father was the owner.”

“Sometimes when I was young and we had pasta my dad would drive there to get a couple loaves of Italian bread. It was still warm and we would eat several slices before we even got home.”

“As a kid playing at Conway Park, if we were hungry the bakery staff always gave us free hot rolls. I can still smell them. Awesome people making an awesome product.”

“Junior High. Going skating every Friday night. Buying a warm loaf of French bread for a quarter before getting on the bus to get home. The whole night costed a dollar. Bus to and from, skating and the bread. Loved those Friday nights. And yes, now I feel very old. Lol.”

“The delicious aroma. My grade school friend Linda G worked there for a number of years.”

“Hot bread while waiting at the bus stop- after spending hours at the skating rink.”

“It was 25 cents for a whole fresh hot loaf! Made waiting for the bus in the cold bearable.”

“Had their rolls every Sunday, had to have my eggs over easy so I could dip a buttered French roll in the yolk. Oh, and I always got a free scali when I bought cold cuts over $10.”

I’d give anything to see that red “hot bread” sign at Roma bakery across from the old Bradlees on Somerville Avenue. Now La Ronga becomes just another tasty memory.