This week I made a discovery about a new gelateria near me in Milan. I’m especially excited since the gelateria closest to my house is average, but not great.

Il Gelato gelateria in Milan is from the same group of gelatai (gelato-makers) who created Il Gelato in Rome, in EUR. I was fortunate enough to speak a few words with Lorenzo Franchini and Alessandro Meco in the Milan location that opened in June 2009. They were recently included in Gambero Rosso’s July edition that examined Italian gelato in-depth. You can flip through some pages of the Gambero Rosso July issue (Italian only) via that link- their particular feature is on page 37.

Gambero Rosso estimates that there are 35,000 gelaterie in Italy – so we have quite a few more to sample for the Tour del Gelato!

Two things distinguish Il Gelato from other gelaterie – one is they offer 100 flavors. Very few gelaterie have the creativity or space to do so. The other interesting thing Il Gelato offers is gusti salati – which often get translated as “savory flavors“, but I would suggest they be called “bittersweet flavors” as they are always sugar-based and sweet, but not as sweet as you might expect from traditional gelato flavors.

Some of their savory/bittersweet flavors pictured belwo: crema ai peperoni (cream of bell pepper), habenero picantissimo (hot hot pepper), crema di sedano (cream of celery) and frittata di cipolle (onion frittata). ù

Other flavors I saw were: Philadelphia e noci (yes, the cream cheese and walnuts), wasabi, gorgonzola, and taleggio, aceto basalmico e Miele (taleggio cheese, balsamic vinegar and honey).

Though they have 100 flavors, they often rotate in new flavors and solicit feedback from customers on developing new flavors.

My first gelato was pistacchio (my barometer and constant in every gelateria test), halva e pistacchio (pieces), and cioccolato Amadei 9 (Amadei chocolate).

As far as how good this gelato is, I would say it’s above average, though not the best I’ve ever tasted. I also have a lot more flavors to taste. It would be in my top 10 gelaterie in Italy, though. But most importantly, it has the possibility to become your favorite gelateria due to offering flavors you can’t find anywhere else. That’s what struck me as people were streaming in all evening to get gelato – they were excited to see so many flavors and be able to stray from the Italian trilogy of gelato – pistachio, chocolate and hazelnut.

Sicilian cassata gelato

Here is latte e mirtilli (blueberries and milk), and some of the very interesting and sure-to-be-favorites of someone were: sesamo nero (black sesame seed), riso e zafferano (rice and saffron), chocolate of every type (paprika and hot pepper, banana) using some of the best chocolate in the world for their base (Amadei, Valrhona, Domori).

They make small batch sizes of each gelato flavor which is probably why they can offer you 100 flavors. I sampled a zenzero (ginger) sorbet that was incredibly strong and fresh and would have been a perfect thing to serve in between courses to clear one’s palate.

On my next trip, I’m going to try girasole e cioccolato (sunflower seed and chocolate), pistacchi turchi (turkish pistachio), and cioccolato with Valrhona.

Which flavors do you want to try? Which would you definitely avoid?

Il Gelato gelateria
Piazza Lagosta, Milano. Angolo (corner of) Via Trau

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Related Articles at Ms. Adventures in Italy:

• Tour del Gelato: Gelateria Marghera
• Best Gelato in Rome: San Crispino Gelateria’s New Location
• Join the Tour del Gelato!!

It’s been quietly plugging along and we’ve amassed more than 50 reviews of gelaterias in Italy, in the United States, and in other parts of the world!

If you’re interested in contributing, it’s pretty easy (read more on the Tour del Gelato page):

1. go to a gelateria (sorry, no ice cream parlors)
2. take some pictures, and review it on your own blog!
3. Include a link back to the Tour del Gelato blogroll, and send me a message so I can add you! That’s it! (You can also add your photos to the Tour del Gelato Flickr Pool)

If instead you’re more of a consumer, rather than a reviewer, check out the long list of great Italian gelaterie the blogosphere has reviewed to find one near you!

It’s not limited to Italy (though we are finding some great gelaterie for you), so get busy! I’m going to BlogHer in Chicago this summer, so I’d love to have some recommendations already documented!

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Related Articles at Ms. Adventures in Italy:

• More Italian Gelateria Stops on the Tour del Gelato!
• Join the Tour del Gelato!!
• London, A Menu for Hope, the Tour del Gelato

Some housekeeping:

• I’m participating in (Dessert First) Anita Chu’s The Field Guide to Cookies Book Tour! Check back this Thursday for a recipe from her fabulous book, and visit the other bloggers involved in the meantime!
• If you’re an Expat Blogger in Italy, and you don’t see your blog on my Expat Blogs in Italy list, contact me to be added!

One of the highlights of spending so much time in Puglia, and in Manfredonia to be more specific is my close proximity to one of my favorite gelaterias, Gelateria da Tommasino!

It’s an institution in Manfredonia, and while it doesn’t have a flashy patio for seating or even an indoors for when it’s raining, it’s always packed. Take this picture for example, taken this summer in August.

Not impressed? What if I told you it had been taken at 2am? Or that at midnight on a weekend, I found myself with the number 14 – a mere 42 people between me and my beloved gelato. I think the only time I’ve seen lines longer are at the Questura (police station) managing work visas.

Needless to say, I took a few turns around the park and came back to find my number was approaching.

So, how’s the gelato?

I’d have to say it’s in my Top 5 Gelaterias in Italy, and the prices mean that it will always have a place in my top rankings, and in my stomach.

Oh, did I not mention the prices? It is by far the cheapest (good!!) gelateria I’ve found in Italy, with cups and cones starting at just 1 euro! And these aren’t kiddie servings. The cone below was the next size up at 1.50euro. You can use the wafer as a benchmark for the size – I’ve never even ordered the 2 euro size.

If you can’t come to Manfredonia, don’t worry. Tommasino has their gelato, and more specifically their Ice Cream Cassata in many of the restaurants up and down the Pugliese coast.

If you do come to Manfredonia, a caveat: this gelateria is most definitely not open all day, so plan your stop accordingly. It usually opens in late afternoon or even the evening around 6/7pm, and is open until late night (2am or so).

Gelati Da Tommasino S.R.L.
Piazza del Castello
http://www.gelatidatommasino.com

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Related Articles at Ms. Adventures in Italy:

• Where to Find Great Italian Gelato: Tour del Gelato
• A Different Way to Scoop Gelato: The Flower
• More Italian Gelateria Stops on the Tour del Gelato!

One of my favorite gelaterias in Rome is San Crispino. I’ve talked about it and heard about it so much from others it’s a shock to me to realize that the Tour del Gelato has never stopped at San Crispino! Many people call it the “Best Gelato in Rome”, and it’s definitely one of my favorites, but you are welcome to state your own opinion. Better yet, why not blog about your favorite gelateria and add it to the Tour del Gelato?

The original San Crispino location is near the Fontana di Trevi, the Trevi Fountain and is tucked away in a small side street. When you enter, you don’t find bright lights or colors and pictures of gelato and cones dancing on the walls. Instead, it seems rather like a narrow entranceway to a house with one side being completely lined with glass partially separating you from a dozen ice cream containers sunk so that they’re flush with the countertop, and their steel lids quietly reflect the soft light from the ceiling.

Do you know the sound that those steel lids make being put back on? A solid and tampening thunk that you can just imagine everything going quiet and dark inside the container as light is robbed from it once again.

The first time I went to San Crispino, I had a feeling more that I was being granted permission to enter rather than entering a normal gelateria. When I visit Rome, I spend a great deal of time south of the Tevere, which means that even a trip to north of the Trevi fountain can sometimes seem inconvenient when there are so many other good gelaterias on the way.

Luckily San Crispino opened up a new location that is much closer to my normal Rome haunts and very convenient: directly behind the Pantheon (and even closer than Della Palma or Giolitti)! The new location is even a little more inviting to the normal gelato eater, though perhaps you’ll lose some of the reverant awe walking in as it blends into the space that is available to it. For those of you just passing through Rome’s Fiumicino airport, there’s a San Crispino in Terminal A!

As you can see from the “Today’s Specials” there are a lot of fruit flavors that seem to be favorites during the summer when they are considered more refreshing. They change their flavors quite often, especially to reflect the fruit in season. Later that week, the Blackberry sorbet was gone!

And how was the gelato?

Excellent as always. It was a scorching hot weekend in Rome, so the gelato immediately started to defrost upon serving and if I (hypothetically) went back for seconds that weekend, it was for the fruit sorbetti which were perfect to battle the heat.

Sorbetto di More (blackberry) and Lampone (Raspberry)

Crema al Cacao di Valrhona (Cream of Valrhona cocoa) and Crema di Pistachio

Sorbetto di Fichi Neri (Black Figs) and More (Blackberry)

San Crispino Gelateria
www.ilgelatodisancrispino.it

San Crispino in Rome’s Historic Center:
Via della Panetteria 42 (Trevi Fountain)
Piazza della Maddalena, 3 (Pantheon)

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Related Articles at Ms. Adventures in Italy:

• More Italian Gelateria Stops on the Tour del Gelato!
• Tour Del Gelato
• Join the Tour del Gelato!!