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God's Own Ice Cream

A gelato crawl to some of the best ice cream parlors in Rome, Italy

Ice cream cones from Rome's storied gelateria Giolitti.How to pick a parlor
The gelato shops listed here are far from the only good ones in town. Ice cream abounds across Italy, and most of it is excellent. There are a few markers of a good gelateria, including details to look for in a few flavors, even if you don't like them—because if they cheat on the banana, they'll cheat on the one you want, too:

• A sign proclaiming produzione propria (homemade)
• Banana that is gray (if it's yellow, they're using dye)
• Pistacchio that is pale, grayish -green (bright green: dye again)Although not quite the ice cream mecca Florence is, Rome's gelato is still heavenly.

Any gelateria (ice cream parlor) that advertises produzione propria (homemade) will have a high-quality, tasty stock, but who has the best gelato in town?

Well, that's a question fiercely debated by any and all ice cream lovers.

First, a few ground rules:

Don't call it ice cream. First thing to know, to call gelato "ice cream" is insulting to gelato and unfair to ice cream. Gelato is much richer, smoother, and more flavorful than ice cream.

It is churned, not whipped (as is most traditional American ice cream), so it is far denser, giving it a richer mouth feel. Gelato also is not as laden with sugar and cream, so the subtle tastes of its flavoring comes through much better than in ice cream.
Gelateria etiquette
At Roman gelaterie, just like at bars and cafes, don't just saunter up to the bar and order two scoops of cioccolato or an espresso. Go first to the cashier, order what you want, pay for it, and take the receipt to the counter where you can order your cappuccino or your coppa (cup) or cono (cone) of gelato, putting the receipt down with a small coin as a tip.Get it at a gelateria: Second thing to know, gelato is something you go out for at a special parlor called a gelateria, and most of it is consumed during the early evening passeggiata stroll—not that gelaterie aren't equally busy during the heat of midday, or late at night...

I mention this because, unlike in America, gelato is not typically eaten after a meal—or at least you typically don't order it at the restaurant.

Restaurants often do offer "gelato" on their dessert menus, but this is almost always of the pre-packaged variety. This is fine (I'm partial to a tartufo, a Gobstopper-like sphere of vanilla, choclate, and fudge dusted with cocoa) but it's not real gelato.
Cram in as many flavors as you can think of: Third thing to know, you pay by the size of the coppa (cup) or cono (cone), not by the scoop. That means you can (and are encouraged to) squeeze two or even three flavors into even the smallest cup.

Italians taught me that even unusual pairs go great together; a personal favorite: cioccolato e limone (cholocate gealto and lemon sorbetto). No, really; try it.

(Also most Italians order by the cup; the cone is a fun—if messy—American addition to the options, but not too popular).

The best gelaterie in Rome

Giolitti

The most famous gelato parlor is the 19th-century Giolitti, a few long blocks north of the Pantheon, which serves loads of traditional flavors such as straciatella (a cross between fudge ripple and vanilla chocolate chip) and such typically odd Roman combos as a scoop of cioccolato (fudgy chocolate) alongside a scoop of limone (tart lemon sherbert).
Via Uffici del Vicario 40, tel. +39-06-699-1243; www.giolitti.it.

San Crispino

Everyone's favorite "secret gelateria" (which is code for "not [yet] crammed with tourists"—in point of fact, it's a pretty poorly kept secret) is San Crispino. To look at it, you'd never even realize that this long, narrow shop sells ice cream—unless you knew that, before a gelateria in Florence invented the glass display case, traditional Italian ice cream parlors looked just like this: a long marble counters set with a row of brass lids. Lift the lid, and underneath, sunk into the counter, is the tub of gelato.

Their honey-kissed signature flavor is called simply "San Crispino," though they feature many other velvety varieties made with fresh fruits or nuts and sinful delights laced with liqueurs.

The Gelato Gods have smiled upon San Crispino (as well they should), and it has now opened several more branches around Rome (all, sadly, closed in winter, and on Tuesdays in fall):

Via della Panetteria 42, tel. +39-06-679-3924, www.ilgelatodisancrispino.com (this original San Crispino is a bit hidden; once you've found the the Trevi Fountain, head away from it on Via del Lavoratore, then take your second left)
Piazza della Maddalena 3, tel. +39-06-9760-1190 (easiest outlet to find; just a block north of the Pantheon)
Terminal A, Fumucino airport, tel. +39-06-6501-9911 (follow signs to McDonald's in the upstairs food court; it's just past that).
Via Acaia 56, tel. +39-06-7045-0412 (betwen San Giovanni in Laterano cathedral and the start of the Appian Way)

The Granita cart

To go even more traditional, cross to the Trastevere side over the bridge from Tiber Island. There, in warm weather only, along a bend in the busy Lungotevere degli Anguillara boulevard, is parked one of Rome's last remaining granita carts. This is where they still hand-shave giant blocks of ice into a cup and pour sugary flavored syrups on top—the original "Italian Ice," and ancient precursor to gelato.
Lungotevere degli Anguillara. No phone.

Tre Scalini

Another Roman institution that's as vital to visit as the Colosseum or Vatican is the bar Tre Scalini on Piazza Navona, where you can sit outside watching the carnival of life on the piazza while indulging in a homemade tartufo ice cream ball (a ball of chocolate ice cream rolled in chocolate chunks with a cherry in the middle).
Piazza Navona 28–32, tel. +39-06-6880-1996, www.ristorante3scalini.com.

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