My family and I are going to Italy in October we are going to Rome, Florence Siena Greve Bologna Venice and then heading to France. We are traveling from Venice to Nice and would like help with a coastal route. I would love recomendations in these areas for the best gelati and best caneloni and in France the best Patiserries.
Also has anyone stayed at a Eurocamp site (we are looking at Figline Valdarno)
Any help is much appreciated!
Thankyou!

Hello TJM, I'm not sure if your route will take you by San Remo or not, but we had the best of our entire trip at a little beachside cart opposite the casino in San Remo. Funny thing, last week I was talking to my sister-in-law about our separate trips to Italy a few years ago and we were talking about gelati. We were both telling about the best we had while there and someone asked where we got it. At the same time, we both said the cart near the beach in San Remo!

Thanks thats helped alot now we will defenatley go to san remo if there is good gelati envolved!

Thanks heaps
TJM

We had excellent gelato at:

* Nico's in Venice
* Giolitti's in Rome
* Caffe Lepanto in Greve

Many people recommend Vivoli's in Florence but we never got there.

I must add that my husband and I never met a gelato that we didn't enjoy!

In Bologna I suggest Gelateria Moline, Via delle Moline 13.

In Rome I suggest GELATERIA SAN CRISPINO, near Trevi Fountain and another gelateria (sorry I don't remember its name) which is in a street leading to Piazza Campo de' Fiori.
The former has an incredible array of flavours like cinnamon, pear, pine seeds... sooo goooood!

The award winning one in Bologna, mentioned in LP (and possibly the one cited by Ira) was sensational. Very rich, creamy and lots of unique flavours (honey and fig, stuff like that). Its a bit out of the way (about 15min walk fro the centre) but easy enough to find and Bologna is a pleasant place to walk around anyway.

OK, stupid question coming. I'm trying to learn Italian on my own (NO classes in my area). Is gelati the plural of gelato? Can ice cream be plural? (I said it was a stupid question!)

Hi Lady,

Uno gelato, due gelati.

there is no "ice cream" in Italy. Gelato is made from milk.

Yes, lady, gelati (ice creams) is the plural of gelato (ice cream). This disregards Ira's note about milk/cream and is purely a language comment.

Masculine noun. Singular ending - o. Plural ending - i.

Feminine noun. Singular ending - a. Plural ending - e.

Ira: Since you seem interested, it's un gelato (not "uno" gelato).

Thank you, cmt.

My lady wife, who speaks a little Spanish, said it was "uno".

In Florence, try "Perche No" off of Via Calzaioli and "Carabe" near the Medici Palace.

I tried Vivoli's and it was good too but I prefer the two above for the more casual atmosphere. Everybody loves the riso (rice) flavor at Vivoli's.

Just a note: Be adventurous and try various flavors--this gets harder once you've discovered a favorite or two, though. Some gelaterie allow you to have samples but these places are normally busy (if it's a good one) so you may not always be able to.

Happy Gelato Eating!

Ira: I thought you were attempting to write Italian, not Spanish. In Italian it's "un gelato." (Also "gelato" isn't the Spanish word either. I think it's "helado" in Spanish.)

Hi TJM,

try the legendary Gelateria Gianni in Bologna, according to the locals it is the best in town and I certainly do agree. They have two branches, on Via Montegrappa 11 (near Via Ugo Bassi) and a smaller one near Piazza Santo Stefano on Via Santo Stefano.

Also have a look at http://www.gelateriagianni.com/ It's in Italian but even if you don't understand the language there are some great pictures !

Buon viaggio!

>>best gelati and best caneloni <<

TJM, do you really mean "caneloni"? Canelloni is a rolled/stuffed pasta dish. Canolli are tubular pastries--crisp shell, ricotta stuffing.

just wondering. . .

If it's the pastires, your best bet would be in Rome, as canolli are from the southern region and won't necessarily be found further north.

Maybe ira was using the hybrid language known as Spitalian .

As for patisseries in France, where exactly will you be?

In Rome, we found the gelato in Trastavere tasted the best (and we tried lots and lots of shops). I think you should do the same: keep trying them all...

In Florence, Festa del Gelato, off Via Calziaouli, on Via Corso, had the best selection and really good quality. It is the most convenient if you're going from Il Duomo to Pzza Signoria or Ponte Vecchio, it's right on the way. Vivioli was quite good, especially the kiwi and strawberry together; it is quite close to Santa Croce.

Cremeria Monteforte- v.delle rotunda 22
If you stand in the piazza facing the Pantheon,this little gelateria is on the right of the building itself.

They have great flavors, including rose, that we tried, not expecting to enjoy, but it became a favorite of one of the children.
They also sell a size called piccolo,
and this is basically a tiny cone (pinkie finger sized) with a couple bites of gelato . It sells for 50 cents/euro, and is a great way to have a taste or enjoy dessert if one is still to full from your meal.