With almost a month in Italy how could we resist the opportunity to sample some of the best Gelato the country (and arguably the world) has to offer! Working our way from north to south we set out to try as many creative and unusual flavours as possible. Have a read and watch our little vlog detailing some of the more memorable flavours we tried.
TOP PICK: Gelateria Dondoli – San Gimignano
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Stop 1: Suso – Venice
Located 2 minutes from the Rialto Bridge in the San Marco area. We had a feeling this place would be good given there was a line out the door on an otherwise cold and dreary day. We opted to try two different flavours – pistacchio and noci e fichi (nuts and figs). While the pistacchio was good, the noci e fichi really levelled up our gelato game. Rich and creamy with sweetness from the figs, this one was a winner.
Stop 2: Gelateria Dondoli – San Gimignano
Smack bang in the centre of this medieval town, friends who had been before recommended we visit the ‘world famous’ Gelateria Dondoli. While we were sceptical about such a glowing recommendation, we enjoyed some pretty incredible gelato flavours – blackberry with lavender, strawberry with rosemary, and cinnamon. A must visit if you’ve heading to Tuscany!
Stop 3: Alberto Gelateria – Corniglia
There’s something about earning your gelato that makes it that much better and we definitely earned our gelato from Alberto Gelateria in the idyllic town of Corniglia! After climbing over 134 flights of stairs we treated ourselves to some regional favourites – mixed berry, coconut, local honey and the piece de resistance … lemon and basil. While you might think the basil would be too savoury for an icy sweet treat, it was quite the opposite. If anything it enhanced the lemony flavour, was refreshing, and left us wanting more!
Stop 4: Otaleg – Rome
Wandering the trendy neighbourhood of Trastevere in Rome we stumbled across Otaleg and immediately had to try in. Otaleg definitely had a wide range of weird and wonderful on offer. We opted for apricot and cherry with pistachio. Both were good, but the apricot was best. There were also lots of creamy flavours that we didn’t get around to trying but many others had raved about online.
Stop 5: Mastro Como – Rome
This was more of a late night pit stop rather than something we specifically sought out. We thoroughly enjoyed sharing a cup of the coconut and mango flavours. There seem to be so many good gelaterias in Rome that it’d be hard to go wrong no matter which you choose.
Stop 6: Martinucci Laboratory – Polignano A Mare
This bakery/pasticceria specialises in creamy classics – think chocolate, stracciatella (milk ice cream with chocolate shavings) and tiramisu. Much to Tess’s delight we opted for a scoop of coffee and southern Italian biscuit (called straccianote.. we think). The combination of the two was the icy equivalent of a biscuit dunked in coffee – ‘chef’s kiss!’
Stop 7: Cafe Duomo – Galipolli
After perhaps a little bit too much time in the sun we decided to cool off with one last gelato for the Italian leg of our trip. Sadly, Cafe Duomo didn’t quite live up our expectations. We ordered the strawberry and passionfruit with both flavours tasting a little too similar and very sugary. In short, this place was nothing special and we probably wouldn’t recommend it for Gelato. However, it’s a good spot for a coffee in the old town.
How much does Gelato cost in Italy?
Whilst this varies depending on the region and size of the city, typically, 1 scoop was €1.5-2 with additional scoops another €1.
If you take anything out of our little tour, it should be to try the weird and wonderful flavour combinations! Let us know in the comments below where you had your favourite gelato in Italy!
Take a look at our video tour of these great gelaterias below!
WANT TO SEE MORE TRAVEL MEMORIES?
Read up on tips, advice and memories from a wonderful month in Italy. Check out the highlights!
Check out further highlights from our time in the Europe! Take a look!
Our previous food tours included a Croissant Tour of Paris and Our Tapas Tour of Seville!
Keen to hear our thoughts on how to choose a good restaurant in Europe? Have a look here!
Keen to take a look at further travel memories and advice? Take a look here!
Diane
July 4, 2022 at 10:57 pm
Another great vlog guys!👌
Bravi!!! 🙌
Ky
July 5, 2022 at 11:52 pm
Thank you!!!