italian ice cream gelato

Experience Italian Ice Cream: Gelato

Italian Ice Cream: The History of Gelato
Like other famous Italian foods, such as pasta, it is believed that the idea for gelato in Italy came from China with the return of Marco Polo in 1288 A.D., but didn't become famous until Bernardo Buontalenti, a native of Florence, introduced it to the court of Catherine de' Medici during the mid 16th century. The Sicilian Francesco Procopio dei Coltelli was the first person to sell gelato to the public, and was summoned to Paris in 1686, afterwhich it became famous across Europe. It is also continuously argued that gelato arrived in Italy via Arab influence in Sicily in the Middle Ages. It Italy, the art of making gelato was passed down from father to son, and perfected up until the 20th century.

Italian Ice Cream: Ingredients and Flavors
One of the basic differences between Italian gelato, and the ice cream that is sold in most of the rest of the world is that it contans less air, providing for more intense flavor. Gelato is also healthier, as it contains all natural ingredients, and contains fewer calories and less butter fat. Gelato is also stored at a lower freezing temperature which allows it to melt in your mouth, and the lower percentage of butter fat allows your taste buds to savor every ounce of it. Common flavors come directly from naturally occurring ingredients such as fruit, cacao, nuts, and other Italian recipes transformed into gelato. Common flavors to be found can range from those to be found everywhere, such as chocolate, banana, and mint chip (known as ''after eight''), to simple, uncommon wonders such as almond, sour cherry, and liquorice.

Italian Ice Cream: Best Places to Go in Rome
There are gelato shops all over the place in Rome, but it will behoove you to heed our suggestions on where to go if you want the best. Perhaps the oldest gelato shop in Rome is Giovanni Fassi's Palazzo del Freddo which has been serving gelato uninterruptedly in the Esquilino district near Termini Station since 1880. Another historic Roman gelato shop is Giolitti, located between the Pantheon and Palazzo Montecitorio smack dab in the center of old Rome. If you want to enjoy an ice cream at the Trevi Fountain, the San Crispino Gelateria is just a short walk away on Via Panetteria. If you happen to be near St. Peter's, Gelateria Old Bridge, renowned throughout Rome for XXL cones, is located just after Piazza Risorgimento, along the ancient walls protecting the Vatican, and ideal on your way out of the Vatican Museums.

For more info on Rome, check-out Rome-explorer.com.