What makes great gelato?
Well, whilst there are more valid techniques and flavors involved in top-level gelato making than you can shake a stick at, there are certain things that are common to all the best gelato. Top of the list is the choice of highest quality raw materials: it goes without saying that fresh, responsibly produced milk is a must, as are the ingredients that go into the flavors themselves: pistachios from Bronte in Sicily, say, or Calabrian figs.
Gelato in Rome is generally at a fantastically high level, and there are countless exceptional places in town to choose from. That being said, there are unfortunately also no shortage of tourist-traps out there, especially near the major tourist landmarks, serving up cups and cones of artificial, sugary imitation gelato. One way to avoid these places is to give a wide berth to any city-center ice-cream parlor where you can see great heaping mounds of brightly coloured gelato on display – a tell-tale sign of artificial colorings and stabilizers.
Indeed, just as important as what goes into the best gelato is what doesn’t go in. Proper gelato is an artisan product with a short shelf-life that eschews artificial flavors, preservatives and stabilizers. Real gelato is usually more muted in color and highly delicate, so won’t stand to attention in enticing fluffy waves behind the counter.
To help make sure that you get a top-quality gelato worthy of the name when in Rome, I’ve put together a list of 10 of my favorite gelaterie in the capital. I’ve been to each place on this list multiple times and sampled dozens of flavors at each, so I’m very confident that you’ll get a great gelato if you visit anywhere featured below!
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Enviably located on beautiful Via dei Coronari, countless city-center passeggiate have ended up with a cup or cone from the Gelateria del Teatro since its opening back in 2006. With a kitchen visible from the street, you can see for yourself that only real, high-quality raw ingredients go into the gelato here. Mounds of almonds and hazelnuts, heaping piles of exotic fruit and gallons of freshly made cream clutter the laboratory, making you eager to sample the fruits of the staff’s labor inside. We love all the flavors here, but the ‘Vecchia Roma’ is justifiably a city legend: sour cherries, ricotta and crumble married together in a delectable symphony that’s an homage to a traditional Roman Jewish cake.
If you’re looking to expand your gelato horizons, then you need to try the incredibly inventive creations of Claudio Torcè. A tireless innovator and tinkerer, Torcè has gained a reputation as the nutty professor of the Roman gelato scene thanks to the unconventional flavors that daily grace the counter of his eponymous gelateria in the EUR district.
Sweet and savory intermingle in outrageous flavors like gorgonzola or mortadella and pistachio, even carbonara! Trust us, though: they work. If you’re not quite ready to leave your comfort zone, less-challenging but still inventive flavors like black sesame, as well as 10 varieties of the best chocolate ice-cream you’ll ever taste, means there’s something for every palate here. Torcè also has a shop on Viale Aventino, near to the Circo Massimo metro station.
Founded way back in 2000 by the Pugliese Maria Agnese Spagnulo, Fatamorgana has become one of the most reliable addresses for excellent gelato in the capital over the last two decades. We love the delicate flavors and subtle aromatic touches that recall Spagnulo’s southern Mediterranean heritage: think rose and violet petals, or the fabulous Walnut, Basil and Honey combo. For more adventurous palates there’s even a black olive gelato which, whilst difficult to describe, really works. There are now five Fatamorgana shops in Rome, including one in the lovely Monti neighborhood on a picturesque square, so it’s easy enough to seek out too!
Eagle-eyed readers will have already worked out where Otaleg! gets its name from: yes, that’s gelato backwards. There’s nothing backwards-looking about chief gelatiere Marco Radicioni’s avant-garde creations, however. Radicioni helped to popularize the now-common open laboratory arrangement where clients can have a gander at the ice-cream being prepared: take a look and you might see the Otaleg! team whipping up chicken soup or cous-cous gelato – just two of the more eccentric flavors we’ve seen here. As with Torcè across town, multiple award-winning Otaleg! isn’t all about provocation, however. Their more reassuring pistachio and tiramisu flavors are amongst the best in the city.
Günther is the brainchild of Günter Rohregger, a skiing instructor from the northern Italian of Bolzano who followed his ice-cream dream down to the Eternal City a decade ago. Since then Günther has become one of Rome’s most-loved addresses for gelato, and now you can find four outlets across the historic center. Taking his northern roots very seriously, Rohregger only uses water from the Dolomites mountains as the base for his excellent fruit sorbets. Souped-up chocolate flavors are another speciality, from the boozy chocolate spiked with Grand Marnier to the more daring chocolate and gorgonzola.
San Lorenzo is one of Rome’s best areas for restaurants and nightlife, and what better way to cap off an evening in the city’s university district than with a gelato? The go-to spot here is Gelato San Lorenzo, located on bustling Via Tiburtina. Taking a modern, highly technical approach to gelato making, the flavors and textures here are exceptionally refined – naturally, nothing artificial gets a look in. Both creamy and fruity flavors are winners here: pineapple and rosemary is delightfully refreshing and unexpected, whilst zabaione, a heady mix of eggs and sweet marsala wine from Sicily, is a perfect dessert-gelato treat.
A city center institution that has recently moved from its original location near the Pantheon to a new shop just steps from the Trevi Fountain, San Crispino is an excellent non-touristy option when you’re looking for some sweet refreshment in one of the city’s most famous areas. Amongst the delights on offer here we love the sorbets, including wild orange and chocolate, as well as rich and creamy flavors like chocolate meringue and honey.
It might not be quite as cutting-edge as some of the other entries on our list, but if you’re interested in the history of gelato then you’ve got to make a pilgrimage to Fassi, not far from Termini station in the Esquilino neighborhood. On the go since 1880, Fassi is the Eternal City’s oldest gelateria, and was known as ‘il gelatiere sovrano’ thanks to its status as the favored ice-cream maker of the kings of Italy in the opening decades of the 20th century. The current shop, housed in a stunning historical edifice known as ‘Il Palazzo del Freddo,” has been operational since 1928. As you might expect, classic flavors predominate – plump for hazelnut, vanilla or chocolate. Semifreddo is also a house speciality, served in thick bricks called caterinette.
A locals favorite ever since opening back in 1999, Prati-based Gelateria dei Gracchi shines with its classic, traditional flavors like dark chocolate, zabaione, coffee and hazelnut. Seasonal fruit flavors are worth a look too – look out for a cracking chestnut, an excellent prickly pear and vibrant wild strawberry.
A relatively new addition to Rome’s gelato scene, Grezzo opened its doors in 2014 with the aim of elevating vegan-friendly gelato to the heights of traditional products. We think they’ve done a great job, and recommend Grezzo’s gelato to non-vegans too. The gelato here is also gluten-free, and is sweetened using coconut sugar or agave, meaning it has a lower glycemic index than normal ice cream.
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