Is gelato that much of a highlight?
 

I always see all of these posts about gelato. I could almost be persuaded that gelato contains the sun, moon, and stars based on these :).

I've had gelato at various locations in Vancouver, including some that apparently are thought of very highly. I do like lemon and raspberry and others, but so far any gelato I've had has not excited me *that* much. If the quantity is of any size, I start to think it's too sweet (which is the case for me with almost any dessert). Plus, it's a high cost for a small serving, so it's not something I indulge in very often. But - I've read that gelato on this side of the Atlantic is not so good as Italy, so maybe I'm not being fair.

If you aren't much of a dessert person, will gelato still be a highlight? Are there any people who can say they've tried Italy's best gelato and aren't terribly enthusiastic about it?

OMG, gelato is Italy is fantastic...but of course, it depends on where you get it, as some places are better than others. I love gelato. My wife is not as fond of it, but still like it a lot.

--Marv

I'm sorry but gelato in Vancouver is NOTHING like gelato in Italy. It's just ice cream in Vancouver. I don't know if it is the milk - unpasturized? what the cows eat, or the recipe but it is definitely better in Italy. Perhaps is it the Italian sun, moon, and stars that just make it better (i.e. location - on vacation).

I've never been much of a dessert person and now that I'm diabetic, I avoid it.
But gelato in Italy really can be special. I especially like the real fruit flavors or citrus ones -- and they are not sickeningly sweet like many desserts are for me.

By the way, I'm pretty much a chocolate fan, but I've never liked chocolate gelato. Why is that?

I am absolutely not a dessert person, but gelato in Italy is something I simply MUST have. I've never had a gelato in the USA that began to compare with what I've had in Italy, though.

It is a national treasure of Italy and is required daily when there. I now have a book detailing the best gelateria in many of the tourist towns. I regard it as more important than a guide book.

Patrick, I presume it might be because part of what makes really good chocolate good is the texture, and that would be lost in gelato. Sound possible? I don't like milk chocolate, so I suspect I might not like chocolate gelato either.

For scientific reasons, I think I'll have to make a point of trying out gelato at several highly-reviewed spots at home and then comparing these to the best-reviewed spots in italy.

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Yes- more of a hightlight! It is fabulous!

If you like ice cream, sorbets, etc. you should definitely try it, and seek out highly recommended establishments. We made sure we had some when we were in Rome 10 years ago, and this year it did not even cross our minds while we were traveling in northern Italy. But I do not seek out ice cream places in general, although I will take a cassis sorbet any time I can find it.

I'm not a dessert person at all, but gelato is light and refreshing and the flavors in Italy are intense and natural. Gelato is much less thick and fatty than American ice cream, because it does not have egg yolks or much high fat cream, but the texture is generally smoother and silkier than ice cream. Even more refreshing and more intense is granita, a water ice, which, at its best, is pure, simple, natural, and very intensely flavored. The most common flavor is lemon, but you can also find it made of almond milk, or in cinnamon flavor or coffee, or many fruit flavors including some odd ones.

P.S. While it is very good, as described above, it would not occur to me to have gelato every day, or even to have granita every single day. Granita is often best in little unpretentious pastry/gelato/granita shops in medium-sized towns in Sicily, not in major tourist areas, and definitely not in shops owned by local natives in the north.

I never had good gelato in ther US. when I was a young child in Brooklyn, most bakeries made their own granita in the summer, but now it is almost impossible to find the "real thing" where in the suburbs.

Hi Will,

Remember, not all gelato shops make their own gelato.

The best gelato is to be found at

any of the Amorino shops in Paris

Gelateria Moline, Via delle Moline 13 in Bologna

Ira, I should have paid attention to that when I went to Paris. I'm not getting to Bologna on this trip, but I'll remember that anyway.

Gelato is one of Italy's major constributions to Western civilization, right up there with Michelangelo's David,
the Sistine Chapel, pesto, and Lamborghinis.

What also makes gelato a special experience is to mix some of the wonderful flavors on the same cone. I noticed that very few Italians ordered a single (solo) flavor. For me, the mixture of chocolate, rasberry, and coconut gelati was just unbelievably flavorfull.

Yes, gelato is great, and I am not one to rave about much! My first taste will always be a "stand-out" Italian memory. Ice-cream is usually just ice-cream to me. I like it, but I can live with out it. My first gelato was the chocolatiest, creamiest, chocolate ice-cream that I have ever had. Yummmmmy!

In a word, YES. But you will just have to try it for yourself to decide, won't you?

Tell us what cities and towns you will be in so we can steer you to the best gelato. We wouldn't want you to make up your mind based on inferior product.

I have to say, I don't get it. And I like desserts. Gelato just doesn't light up the stars for me. :-)

Oh Grasshopper, a pox on you!!!!! LOL I can't say I actually found any bad gelato in Italy...can't say the same for what I have been able to find where I live. Just NOT very good. I'm a big chocolate person but in Venice, on a whim I tried a cantalope flavor and oh my gosh...it was just fabulous..like eating the melon except smoother, richer, and just so wonderful. YUM!!! Those that don't love it are evil and must be destroyed!!!!!