Buon Weekend: Gelato!!
Where might I bring my guests to savour this treat, in Rome?
A city I used to live in, prior to my adventures in Italia, was beautiful Boston, MA.
If you’ve ever been to Boston, you’d quickly note how almost every street corner has a Dunkin Donuts. As a midwestern gal, I found this quaint and humorous for such a big city! I was later told the reason for so many shops around the city was for the coffee (of COURSE). It was preferred to, say…that Green-Siren from the West Coast. The coffee at Dunkin is just made better…not to mention the first store being established in nearby Quincy.
It’s a funny thing to think that so many people go for donuts and coffee, at all times throughout the day, and all seasons, there…but they do. And it works!
When one visits Rome, it’s hard NOT to notice that on nearly every street there is at least one gelateria. Gelato is for Italians as Dunkin is for Bostonians, I suppose?
Now, it is important to note: Gelato is NOT ice cream. In fact, if you are watching your waistline, the Italians have discovered the better part! Made with more milk, less cream and mixed slowly to be more dense…somehow, Italy perfected the frozen dessert in the late 1500’s!
Italians also eat gelato year ‘round. Last winter, as I was walking home one night, I saw a grown man eating gelato from a cone—enjoying it alone, as he walked in the neighbourhood. I asked a friend, “with how much care one must take here, to avoid the dreaded “colpo d’aria”, how is it that gelato in freezing cold won’t bring on some mysterious ailment?” She replied, gelato in winter is fantastic because it doesn’t melt all over your hands. Genius, ladies and gentlemen.
So…enough about history or when to it it—when in Rome, where should you go?
I admit, as someone who tries to maintain KETO for service-related endocrine issues, I don’t often break the low carb for a gelato treat…and so there are MANY places I have not tried.
Two of the places I bring my friends and guests to are the two I recommend to you, here:
Gelateria della Palma—Located near the Pantheon, and boasting a whopping 150 different flavours of gelato, this place is a Roman staple in the heart of Centro. I brought my parents here when they visited me in 2005, while I studied abroad. My mom had dark chocolate fondant with peperoncini (yes, those hot pepper flakes sometimes found in pizza shops back stateside). She loved it so much that when she returned last month, she asked to visit once more. No chocolate and pepper available this time, but the Passionfruit—my absolute favourite—was a big hit! It may be a bit tourist-logged, but I recommend the experience of this gelateria!
Old Bridge Gelateria—The shop I’ve been to is original one, located near Piazza del Risorgimento—close to the Vatican Museums. This little gelateria might just possibly have the best dark chocolate gelato in Rome. That, or Gelateria del Monte in Borgo Pio…but both gelaterie have several shops throughout the city. Old Bridge is special as they make and mix their gelato on site. They claim all their ingredients are Italian. They also have “senza latte” options for those who can’t do dairy.
So there you have it…my two locations (so far)! If you have others, be sure to recommend them—I MIGHT just endure the KETO flu once again!