Gelato Question

[maninmontreal]

A lot of people recommend gelato as a must do Italian experience. Do italians eat it in cones like N. American ice-cream, bowls or what? Is it sold in scoops i.e one scoop, double scoop etc. Are all gelatos created equal? What & where should one look to get a quality product? What would one expect to pay? Many thanks for any info you can provide. Can you tell I've never been to Italy before?:D

[cruisemom42]

An excellent question and one that's dear to my heart (and dare I say waistline....?)

 

Here is a thread with a LOT of information about gelato. Be forewarned, you will be hungry after reading it.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=800940&highlight=gelato

 

Gelato can be eaten in a cone or in a bowl, just like ice cream. Most Italians will tell you the thing to do is to mix two complementary flavors together (one scoop of each). It's generally sold by the scoop. Some places will try to push a lot of fancy toppings on you, but that's more of a tourist thing. I prefer just to enjoy the flavor(s) of the gelato itself.

 

I think most of your other questions are covered in the thread above. Just remember: it's important to do a lot of first-hand research. :D

[CathyCruises]

It seemed from listening to the locals order that pistachio and chocolate are a popular two-scoop combination!

[maninmontreal]

An excellent question and one that's dear to my heart (and dare I say waistline....?)

 

Here is a thread with a LOT of information about gelato. Be forewarned, you will be hungry after reading it.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=800940&highlight=gelato

 

Gelato can be eaten in a cone or in a bowl, just like ice cream. Most Italians will tell you the thing to do is to mix two complementary flavors together (one scoop of each). It's generally sold by the scoop. Some places will try to push a lot of fancy toppings on you, but that's more of a tourist thing. I prefer just to enjoy the flavor(s) of the gelato itself.

 

I think most of your other questions are covered in the thread above. Just remember: it's important to do a lot of first-hand research. :D

Yes cruisemom42, that thread answers my questions. Thank you. I will take your advice and do alot of first hand research when in Italy this fall. How will I know what my favorite flavor is unless I try them all???:)

[SmokinActuary]

That is it! Now it is a moral imperative to have a gelato in each port and find the best!

 

From what I understand, Barcelona has places that do gelato justice. I will just have to compare it to Florence, Rome, Naples, Venice and Dubrovnik! :D

[kadey]

Make sure you get some in Dubrovknik! Amazingly, it was creamier than those we ate anywhere in Italy!

[euro cruiser]

It is not all created equal - the very best is artisinal, made fresh by the shop.

[grandbanksguy]

A lot of people recommend gelato as a must do Italian experience. Do italians eat it in cones like N. American ice-cream, bowls or what? Is it sold in scoops i.e one scoop, double scoop etc. Are all gelatos created equal? What & where should one look to get a quality product? What would one expect to pay? Many thanks for any info you can provide. Can you tell I've never been to Italy before?:D

 

Italy's best and perhaps the world's best gelato is at the Gelateria Vivoli in Florence. And they only sell it in cups. no cones or toppings. It's not far from San Croce.

[caripoo]

I ate it for 17 days straight, with all the walking no extra weight!! It's better than ice cream!! ENJOY!!!:D:D

 

We ate it in all the Med. Italy, Greece Turkey, France. The Italians make the best, but it is delicious everywhere!!

[cpt_awesome]

Italy's best and perhaps the world's best gelato is at the Gelateria Vivoli in Florence. And they only sell it in cups. no cones or toppings. It's not far from San Croce.

 

I would agree with this 100% :D

 

We almost decided to go into Florence on our upcoming cruise just so we could go to Vivoli for Gelato, but opted to go someplace new.

[Freckles_51]

Oh yum! I just lurve the fruity flavors....pear, limoncello, pink grapefruit....we have a gelato shop near home but cannot wait to try it in Italy and Croatia.:p

[FTLcruisers]

We found Old Bridge Gelateria near the Vatican during our stay in Rome in October. I thought it must be a "sign" that I had to eat gelato every day (sometimes 2x a day) because we used to live in a town named Old Bridge.:D Their gelato was excellent and inexpensive - if I closed by eyes when eating their banana gelato, I would have sworn I was eating a fresh banana. Price at Old Bridge were extremely reasonable but we definetely got ripped off in Florence - our own fault, didn't pay attention thinking all prices were similar to what we had paid in Rome.

[chipmaster]

We started in our Italian ports and a few ports after we got our habit. Italy is best either because of secret sauce or something else. It did help that in 3 of our ports our private drivers specifically took us to the "best"

 

IMHO in a dish is best as good gelato needs nothing else ;)

[JLC@SD]

.....if you go to Italy.....and don't have gellato.....you missed one of the best parts of Italy.....:D

[UlvaZell]

A lot of people recommend gelato as a must do Italian experience. Do italians eat it in cones like N. American ice-cream, bowls or what? Is it sold in scoops i.e one scoop, double scoop etc. Are all gelatos created equal? What & where should one look to get a quality product? What would one expect to pay? Many thanks for any info you can provide. Can you tell I've never been to Italy before?:D

 

We had it both in cones and bowls. The absolute best we found on our trip last summer was Tira Misu gelato... amazing:p

[financialgrl]

We had it in cups rather than cones while in Venice more than once. My niece (20 y/o) said ice cream will never be the same now. My first flavors were lemon and mixed berry and on a very hot day it was so refreshing. I later tried other flavors but you absolutely can't go to Italy without having gelato, ya just can't!

[GeorgiaPeach51]

Not sure I spelled it correctly, but cantaloupe ice cream from an artisanal maker will make you fall to your knees! I promise you! :p I'm surprised the sidewalks are not littered with people who just keel over from the goodness of it!

[maninmontreal]

 

I'm surprised the sidewalks are not littered with people who just keel over from the goodness of it!

 

After an endorsement like that, how could I fail to give this treat a try? Thanks to all you passionate gelato lovers for your feedback.

[slidergirl]

Step out and try a flavor you never see in ice cream. I agree - cantaloupe is fantastic. If you are in Rome, see if you can find rice gelato - it tastes like frozen rice pudding!!

My last trip to Italy, I decided to taste Fior di Latte flavor everywhere. It's not vanilla, but a delicate balance of milk, cream, and sugar. Man, it was good. Just the feel on the tongue is enough - no fancy flavors needed.

 

EDIT: If you want to get familiar with some of the flavors offered, go to the Grom gelato site - grom.it click on the "english" version. Some of the flavors are theirs alone, but it will give you an idea of what is available.

[kestrel]

Not sure I spelled it correctly, but cantaloupe ice cream from an artisanal maker will make you fall to your knees! I promise you! :p I'm surprised the sidewalks are not littered with people who just keel over from the goodness of it!

 

Yes! Yes! That's my favorite flavor. :D

[Yvie]

We had Vivoli in Florence and Giolitti in Rome, both very good. However my favorite gelato of our cruise was not in Italy at all, but in France. In St-Paul de Vence I had lemon meringue gelato - it was fantastic!

[maninmontreal]

We had Vivoli in Florence and Giolitti in Rome, both very good. However my favorite gelato of our cruise was not in Italy at all, but in France. In St-Paul de Vence I had lemon meringue gelato - it was fantastic!

Thanks for the tip Yvie. I am doing an shore-excursion to St. Paul de Vence. Do you happen to recall the name of the place where you bought it?

[iancal]

I very seldom eat ice cream. When we are in Italy I have gelato once a day. If you get two scoops, make certain that the flavours 'marry'......the gelato vendor will explain that to you.

[whale-watcher]

Hazelnut and Chocolate...if you like Nutella, you will love this combo (or add a scoop of Vanilla as well, if you need a little extra boost to get you through the afternoon).

[cruisemom42]

Hazelnut and Chocolate...if you like Nutella, you will love this combo (or add a scoop of Vanilla as well, if you need a little extra boost to get you through the afternoon).

 

Mmmm, one of my all-time favorite combinations!