Gelato in Rome

Undoubtedly one of life's great pleasures is eating Italian ice-cream, but nothing can compare with discovering that Rome's finest is right on the doorstep as I found this afternoon.

Finding 'the best gelato in Rome' is something of a hackneyed endeavour.  Traditionally the palm of victory falls between Giolitti (operating since 1890 on the Via dei Uffici del Vicario, just north of the Pantheon) and San Crispino (the original is near San Giovanni but now more conveniently it has branches near the Trevi Fountain in Via Panetteria and a new one by the Pantheon in Piazza Maddalena). 

I have to confess that I've never been terribly thrilled by either, whilst the groaning tubs of whippy sludge on view at the likes of Blue Ice and Della Palma (where quantity is extolled at the expense of all else) are positively horrifying.  The truth is, the myth of Italian ice-cream, that somehow just by having the name 'Gelato' it is superior to all else, plays into the hands of anyone who happens to sell cold, sweet creamy stuff near a major site.  So it's no surprise that to find something special one has to head off the beaten track to residential Rome.

The Gelateria dei Gracchi of Alberto Manassei sells organic, preservative-free, seasonal produce in a shop that could not be more discreet.  The emphasis here is on fantastic ice-cream and not designer statements, yet there are some fairly wondrous combinations - ricotta and pear, coffee and anise or pear and caramel.  Their pistacchio is famously good and almost everyone inside is ordering it.  It's all utterly delicious, and what's more, when you ask for a small cup you actually get a small cup.  Heaven.