Oh how I love gelato! It’s denser and more flavorful than ice cream, and because it has less fat than ice cream, it is totally encouraged to eat gelato several times per day.
What better place to try every flavor than Rome? Beware: some places calling themselves “artisanal” are actually made from a powder (so be careful —and bookmark this page! wink wink). All the places on this list serve real gelato that is promised to make you do a little happy dance.
7 Gelateria Worth a Detour
1. Verde Pistacchio
Our favorite stracciatella that we tried (and we tried it everywhere!) was at Verde Pistacchio. A good stracciatella should have a creamy milk base with delicious shavings of chocolate mixed in, and this one was perfection. The pistachio flavor was good too (it better be, given the name of the store!) and the strawberry and lemon were refreshing and not too, too sweet. The cone was excellent and crispy. Yay! Verde Pistacchio, Via Nazionale 239 (near the St. Regis hotel)
2. Punto Gelato
Punto sells Gunther-brand gelato. I tried the lemon and watermelon flavors and omggggg the watermelon! I could eat that all day. Their stracciatella had little chocolate chips instead of chocolate shavings, but the flavor was still good. While we were in there, a food tour came in and I tried to eavesdrop as the guide explained to her group how to tell fake gelato from real gelato (if it’s too fluffy that’s a bad sign, she said – you should be able to eat gelato twice a day and not feel sick). 3€/4€/5€ for small/reg/medium. Piazza di S. Eustachio, 47 (near the Pantheon)
3. Fior di Luna
Oh gosh. This one was really good, and the workers behind the counter were sweet. We tried the pistachio, stracciatella, lemon, and strawberry. (The photo in the header was stracciatella and pistachio — soooo good!). A stop at Fior di Luna is a must while you are visiting Trastavere. 2.50€ for a small up to 2 flavors, 3€ for a medium up to 3 flavors, 3.50€ for a medium up to 4 flavors. Fior di Luna, Via della Lungaretta, 96 (in Trastavere)
4. Venchi
This shop does double duty as a chocolate shop and gelateria — the one we visited, near Via del Corso, has a massive chocolate fountain/waterfall behind the counter that you can’t miss. All chocolate fountains make me think of Kristin Wiig’s bridal shower freakout in Bridesmaids and make me giggle a little inside.
The standouts at Venchi were the cream/milk flavor and the caramel. I also tried the strawberry and lemon, but the cream milk and caramel were the real stars. I hate it when I make a bad order, but I’m lucky that my husband is always happy to switch with me.
5. Il Gelato di San Crispino
I loved the lemon flavor (it was super tart, which I like). Try the honey flavor if you like honey – it is spot on. The guy behind the counter wasn’t the nicest and expressed disappointment when I only wanted a “baby” size, but this one is famous because it’s good. Il Gelato di San Crispino, Via della Panetteria, 42 (near the Trevi Fountain); more locations here.
6. Gelateria dei Gracchi
You know this one is super artisanal because it changes its flavors with the seasons. We got a cone with cream and stratiaccela on the way to dinner at Emma Pizzeria and everyone was happy. 2.50€/3.50€/4.50€ depending on how many flavors you want. Gelateria dei Gracchi (near the Piazza del Popolo).
And one extra – Fatamorgana
We heard great things about Fatamorgana’s organic and varied flavors, but unfortunately weren’t able to try it. We went to the shop near the Piazza del Popolo and waited five or so minutes for service, but no one was running the shop and we had dinner reservations across town at Emma Pizzeria so we had to dig out. Try it and let me know how it is!
#TRAVELHAPPIER TIP: Most of these shops have multiple locations around the city, so use Google Maps (a traveler’s best friend and an underutilized tool!) to find one that’s convenient to you.
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