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I Iced

Gelato Culture

famous fruit-flavored types like “lam-
Imagine you are in Rome and it’s a
pone” (raspberry), “fragola” (strawberry),
scorching and humid, what are going to and “limone” (lemon). Of course there’s
do? You have one option really and that’s “cioccolato” and variations of it, but there
to grab a gelato at the nearest gelateria. It’s are also flavors like “zabaione” (an eggy,
such a relief to be able to refresh in a big Marsala wine-flavored gelato) and “straccia-
city. Thanks to the Italians for creating and tella” (packed with shaved chocolate bits).
perfecting the art of gelato. Vendors tend What’s more, Italians try to compare coffee
to sell gelato to customers directly on the with gelato, that’s how affogato come from. The
street, though some gelaterias, like Gelateria truth is that, whichever flavor you like, or wher-
Giolitti and Grom in Italy, are large enough to ever you like to eat (with or without whipped
have inside and outside seating. Italian coffee cream? In a cialda, a cone or a cup?), gelato is one
bars often sell gelato too. Gelato’s also wildly of those things everyone loves.
popular among tourists: lines regularly stretch
so long for a scoop or two in the summer. So let’s
see what gelato really means to locals and how
they enjoy it everyday.
Gelato has a way of bringing
Connecting people
people together.
Gelato has a way of bringing people together. Even
before the first modern gelato was created (as far back Even before the first modern
as the 16th century) and distributed (the first scoop was
served by Francesco Procopio in Paris’s famous and now gelato was created.
oldest coffeehouse, Café Procope) royals and noblemen
enjoyed frozen drinks together for special occasions. It
created a sense of belonging. Today, at any given time of
a day, you’ll find Italians sitting in the piazzas, chatting
with one another, and enjoying each other’s company over
a cone or two.

Having a Big Variety

For classical flavors, Italians have the gusti classici, old
time favorites such as chocolate cream, stracciatella and
many nut flavored kinds, including “nocciola” (hazelnut),
“pistacchio,” and “mandorla” (almond). There are many

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