Any season is good for eating gelato, but of course summer is the time when we eat even more of it…so, if you’re going to be around Italy this summer and want to try gelato in each place you visit (which, of course, you should!), here’s a handy guide to ordering gelato in an Italian gelateria.
Look for two signs: gelateria (gelato shop) and gelato artigianale (artisan gelato).
Gelato can be served in a coppetta (plastic bowl), cestino (wafer), or cono (cone), so you should specify how you want it:
Buongiorno, vorrei un gelato in coppetta. Hello, I’d like a gelato in a bowl.
Or, if you’re also ordering for someone else, Vorrei due coni gelato. I’d like two cones.
The next question you will be asked is, Da quanto? How much do you want it for?
Gelato is ordered by its price, usually starting at €1.80 for the smallest serving.
Vorrei un gelato da €2.50 con tre gusti, per favore. I’d like a €2.50 gelato with three flavors, please.
Then, you’ll have to say which flavors you want.
Quali gusti vorrebbe? Which flavors would you like?
Nocciola, cioccolata e pistacchio. Hazelnut, chocolate and pistachio.
Here are some of the most common gelato flavors – gusti (of course you will find many more flavors in an Italian gelateria, some even make up their own; these are just some of the most common):
Crema – hard to translate in English as there’s no real equivalent, similar to vanilla
Cioccolata - chocolate
Fior di latte – literally, "flower of milk", similar to cream, but lighter
Panna – cream
Panna montata – whipped cream
Nocciola - hazelnut
Bacio – a mix of chocolate and hazelnut
Stracciatella – cream with pieces of dark chocolate
Caffè - coffee
Pistacchio – pistachio
Fragola – strawberry
Limone – lemon
Enjoy your gelato!
