Cono or coppetta, one or three flavours, with or without cream: in Italy, these decisions are made at the counter before you’re even handed a spoon.
In Italian gelaterias, the ordering process is different from here: (as a rule) you pay at the till first, then go to the counter, and there are specific terms for size, flavour and cream. If you know the basic rules, you’re more likely to make the right choice from the selection, which often features over twenty flavours on display. Here are the seven most important tips.
1. Cono or coppetta
Waffle or cup – that’s the first question you’ll be asked at the counter. ‘Cono’ means waffle, ‘coppetta’ means cup. There’s usually no difference in price, but it can sometimes vary: check the price tags.
2. Gusti and sizes
The flavours are called „Gusti“. The number you can choose depends on the size: piccolo usually comes with one or two, medio with two or three, and grande with up to four. You don’t order by the „scoop“, but by flavour: ‘Un cono piccolo, pistachio and stracciatella.’
Hearty fare in the Aosta Valley
3. Tasting is allowed
When choosing your flavour, don’t hesitate to ask: „Posso assaggiare?“ A small spoonful to try is perfectly normal in most gelaterias and is often offered of their own accord (unless you happen to be at a tourist hotspot in Florence).
4. Panna
Panna is whipped cream and, in most gelaterias outside the tourist centres, it’s still added free of charge if you ask for it. If you don’t ask, it’s usually left out.
5. Pay first, then head to the bar
The process is usually the reverse of what you’re used to in Germany: first go to the till, state your size, pay, and take your receipt. Only once you have your receipt do you go to the counter to choose your flavours. If you haven’t paid in advance, be sure to ask the price first – especially in tourist hotspots. Here, a scoop can sometimes cost as much as 6 euros.
6. Ice, even in the middle of the night
In southern Italy in particular, ice cream is not just a traditional afternoon treat: in cities such as Naples or Palermo, ice-cream parlours are often open well past midnight in the height of summer, and going for a walk with an ice cream at 11 pm is perfectly normal.
7. How to recognise good gelato
- Colour: You won’t find bright green pistachios or neon-yellow bananas in nature – that’s food colouring.
- Container: Deep metal trays with lids instead of piles of items piled high and filled with air.
- Season: In the height of summer, watermelon, peaches and berries dominate the menu – anyone still offering chestnut or panettone ice cream in August should take a closer look.
- Snake: Wherever there’s a queue of locals, the ice cream’s usually good too. It’s the standard tip, but it applies to ice cream as well.
The 10 most important varieties
- Fior di latte – Pure milk ice cream, with no additives – the quintessential classic flavour
- Pistachio – preferably from Bronte, recognisable by its olive-green and beige colour rather than its bright green colour
- Nocciola – Hazelnuts, often more popular in Italy than chocolate
- Dark chocolate – dark chocolate, usually stronger than German varieties
- Lime – a refreshing fruit sorbet, a summer classic
- Bacio – Chocolate and hazelnut, modelled on Baci chocolates
- Crema – Vanilla custard-style, one of the oldest flavours of gelato of all
- Fragola – Strawberry, usually made with fresh fruit rather than flavouring in summer
- Gianduia – Nut nougat cream (chocolate with Piedmont hazelnuts), invented in Turin during Napoleon’s reign (also available as pralines)
- Puffo – bright blue Smurf ice cream, a children’s favourite in Italy with an aniseed and vanilla flavour
