A Life Worth Eating

Is there any image more evocative of la dolce vita of Italy than licking a cone of delicious gelato? Honestly, I’m not sure there is. I was lucky enough to spend nine weeks traveling all around Italy this past summer, and I had more than my fair share of gelato. 45 different gelaterie, 102 scoops of gelato, and 7 cups of granita, to be exact. During this, the second of three installments (see here and here), I’ll be sharing all of the tastiest frozen discoveries I made as I worked my way up the boot. That way, wherever and whenever you happen to find yourself in Italy, you will know a fantastic cone of gelato is never too far away. Enjoy!

ROME

My first night in Rome, I stopped by the most famous gelateria in Rome, and therefore arguably one of the most famous in all of Italy. I sampled a cup of pistacchio and zabaglione, and while I found the flavors wonderfully pure, the texture was terribly disappointing. Rough and icy, which I why I won’t be including it here in my list of favorites. Later in the week, though, I hit another very well-known spot called Giolitti, on Via Uffici del Vicario 40. Late on a Friday night, this place was PACKED. Crazy packed. I grabbed my receipt from the cashier (paying first is de rigueur) and happily joined the frenzy, trying to pick flavors from their awesome selection. I ended up going with pistacchio, riso (rice), and marron glace, and for the opting for it to be topped off with panna, or fresh whipped cream. That was the first and last time I tried that on this vacation. The overwhelming blob of unsweetened (read: tasteless) whipped cream was getting in the way of the gelato, so I ended up scraping most of it off. The gelato itself, though, was quite good. The pistachio, always my favorite, had a very pure roasted nut flavor that I quite enjoyed. The marron glace had great flavor, if just a bit of the grainy texture that often plagues foods involving chestnuts. The riso was creamy and tasty, but the rice grains were a tad too al dente, adding a slight undesirable crunch along with the desirable chew of the kernels. which affected the texture in a bad way. I would certaily return here, though.

Another afternoon, I stopped by Gelateria della Palma on Via della Maddelena 20/23. Walking in the door, I was reminded of Dylan’s Candy Bar in New York City. This is not a good thing. There was candy everywhere I looked, even in some of the gelato flavors. Bright colors all over the walls. Kids in every direction. But the place seemed came highly recommended from several different sources, so I figured I would give it a shot. This place had a LOT of flavors. I would guess somewhere in the neighborhood of fifty. But as soon as I saw four different types of pistacchio, there was no question what I was going to have. A cone of four flavors — crema di pistacchio (the usual pistachio flavor you see everywhere), pistacchio croccante (essentially crema with small pistachio chunks), pistacchio di Bronte (larger chunks of the delicious Sicilian pistachios), and stracciatella al pistacchio (crema with streaks of a Nutella-like pistachio spread throughout). It thought it was a very generous portion considering the €2.50 I paid for it. I really enjoyed tasting the different forms and textures of the same ingredient all in one cone. Each flavor was nice and creamy. Just a tad sweet, so maybe not for purists, but I quite liked it overall.

Another afternoon while exploring the Trastevere area of Rome, I stopped into La Fonta della Salute (”Fountain of Health” — see, gelato IS good for you!) on Via Cardinale Marmaggi 2. A cone of riso (rice) and pistacchio was quite good. I especially loved the texture of the riso gelato, which is actually why I’ve chosen to mention it here. It is not a flavor you run across often in the US, or even in Italy for that matter. But when it’s done well, it is a beautiful thing. The slightly chewy cooked grains of rice here were awesome, creating a unique texture in the gelato that might be described as creamy frozen rice pudding. The pistachio was pretty good as well, but nothing special. Overall, not a gelateria that warrants a special trip, perhaps, but I would recommend it if in the area. At the very least, the riso gelato is definitely worth a try.

The last place I’ll mention in the Eternal City is not a gelateria, but another type of frozen treat altogether. From Sora Mirella, on Lungotevere degli Anguillara at the corner of the Ponte Cestio, I had my first sample of grattachecca. Sitting on a bridge over the Tiber river, dangling one’s feat over the edge, with a cup of this hand-shaved ice soaked with a flavored syrup (and, optionally, topped with fresh fruit) — now that is summertime in Rome. I ordered mine flavored with almond syrup, and it was delicious. The texture of the ice was very nice, with large, flat crystals not unlike flakes of Maldon sea salt. Certainly a change of pace from the traditional Italian granita, but a very taste one.

PERUGIA

If you happen to find yourself in Umbria (and I highly recommend it — it’s like a less touristy Tuscany), odds are that if you’re traveling by train, you will make a stop in Perugia. If you find yourself there with a layover before your connecting train arrives, don’t fret. Just about a block away from the Ponte San Giovanni train station at Via Manzoni 124 is Alunni. This gelateria and caffè would be a great way to pass the time. After I found myself in that very situation waiting for my train to Siena, I had a cone of fior di latte and arancia-carota (orange-carrot), and both were very good, especially the latter. Nice creamy texture, served neither too cold and hard, nor too warm and melty. The nice purity of the flavors made me that much more surprised that the orange-carrot combination actually worked quite well. Nothing earth-shattering here, but definitely recommended if you are in the area.

FLORENCE

Finally. A city that could stand up to my beloved Palermo when it comes to gelato. The other cities I’d visited had had their high points, to be sure, but as far as consistency goes, I was starting to fear I had unfortunately saved the best for first on this vacation. Luckily, though, I found the gelato in Florence to be a wonderful thing. Here are a few standouts:

I had read so much about this place before coming to Florence that I had already dubbed it “Il famoso”. Vivoli, on Via Isole delle Stinche 7r, is inevitably the first place that comes up when “gelato” and “Florence” are mentioned in the same sentence. It was not surprising, then, that it was one of my first stops. Sometimes, such reputations can lead to overly high expectation and eventual disappointment. But this place delivered. I had a cup with three flavors: fichi (figs), pistacchio, and riso (rice). It was even kindly capped off with a little assaggio, or taste, of pere al caramello (caramelized pear). All four flavors were fantastic. I would be hard-pressed to choose a favorite among them, in fact. The clarity of each flavor was phenomenal. One minute I was eating fresh roasted pistachios, and the next biting into chewy rice grains or fresh figs. The pear flavor, too, did not disappoint. Really, really good stuff. Definitely among the best on the trip, second only to Pasticceria Alba in Palermo.

What was actually my very first stop for gelato in Florence also happened to be one of the best. Mentioned in the May 2005 Bon Appetit collector’s edition featuring Rome, Florence, and Venice, Gelateria La Carraia in Piazza N. Sauro 25r was wonderful. I had a cup of ricotta con fichi, pistacchio and fior di latte. The texture was oh-so-creamy, so perhaps not for those looking for heightened clarity of flavor. It tasted a bit sweeter than some of the other places I had tried in Italy as well, but not overly so. Regardless, texture trumped flavor for me this time. I thought this was really phenomenal, and I would go back in a heartbeat.

I don’t recall where I first read about Gelateria dei Neri on Via dei Neri 20-22r, but the name kept popping up, so I figured it was worth a try. It was. Good quality and an interesting selection of flavors. I went with pinolo (pine nut), pesca (peach) e amaretto, and cioccolato con pistacchio e peperoncino. All three flavors were nice, but the last one was a knockout. Just the right punch of spice in the back of the throat, a little crunch from the pistachio, the bittersweet richness of the chocolate. Very nice combination. Good show.

I read about this chocolate shop and gelateria on Borgo Albizi 11r called Vestri in my guidebook, and then later on the Divina Cucina site (which is a great Florence resource, by the way). I was excited to see cioccolato al peperoncino on the list of flavors outside, as the addition of a little spice seems to be just about the only way I’ll touch chocolate gelato. But they had not yet prepared it that day, so I decided to go with cioccolata bianca con le fragole (white chocolate with fresh strawberries) and pistacchio instead. The texture was ridiculously creamy. I think the picture really says it all. The flavors, too, were pure and delicious. Like eating beautiful summer berries and cream in one bite, fresh roasted nuts in the next. I did not get a chance to sample any of their chocolates, but if they are half as good at making chocolates as they are at making gelato, I may just have to give it a try next time. Very good stuff.

In a city as accessible on foot as Florence, it is sometimes tough to escape the tourist hoards. One time I was able to do so was with a special trip to a certain highly recommended place near the stadium. Badiani on Viale dei Mille 20r, was mentioned in a NYT article that was pinned up on the wall in a pastry shop called Dolce & Dolcezze (which was very good, by the way) I visited one afternoon in Florence. On foot, it was a trek from the centro storico, though I’m sure it’s painless to get there by bus. They have a nice range of different flavors, and I chose a cone of riso, babà, and cioccolato con peperoncino. The gelato was creamy as you can see, and the flavors were pure. I didn’t really dig the texture of the babà gelato, but the taste was definitely nice. Well worth a stop if you find yourself in the area, or just want to get away from the crowds for a bit.

I had already tried a branch of this gelateria in New York, and I wasn’t floored. But, as they say, when in Rome Florence… I figured I would give Grom, on the corner of Via del Campanile and Via delle Oche, another shot. The prices here were about half what they were in NYC, so it was like getting a good thing on sale. Besides, even with my self-imposed gelato-no-more-than-once-a-day rule, they had granita, so I was safe. A small cup of granita di mandorla (almond) brought me right back to Sicily. Incredibly flavorful, and the texture was just right. I went back to Grom several more times on the trip, and was never disappointed. Granita alla menta (mint) in Turin, granita al limone in Bologna, and a cone of torroncino and pistacchio gelato in Padua were all very good. Definitely a recommended stop wherever your Italian travels take you.