That headline is no click bait. Over the last 10 years, we’ve visited Italy on 6 separate occasions. We’ve spent more than a month on the ground twice. I may even be the Mayor on Swarm of 5 gelaterias, but who am I to humble brag? We feel more than able to recommend the best gelato in Italy.
During all of those visits, if there is one thing we have eaten a lot of during our time in Italy, it’s gelato. Yes we ate a lot of pizza and pasta too, but we did gelato in spades. In our conservative estimates, we must have eaten at over 50 locations. Don’t believe that? Ask my waistline.
There’s always a good time for gelato, but we have no time for bad gelato. Be sure to sing that last phrase to the ‘You don’t win friends with salad’. And Italy for all its wonders, does have its fair share of bad gelato if you’re not careful about where you eat. I wouldn’t say that to anyone’s face in Italy, but those merchants know who they are. And it’s not bad, like stomach churning bad. Just homogenised, average, unimaginative gelato. You can get a better handle on how to avoid eating sh*t gelato in Italy here. And whilst you might not be able to eat at the best restaurant in the world, most visitors can enjoy the best gelato in Italy.
Over time, we’ve become very picky with where we spend our €2.50 on a cone of creamy goodness. Reflecting on our choices below, we realise we haven’t tried every gelato store in Italy. I’d love to meet the person who has. But we’ve eaten at a lot, and we definitely know where to find the good stuff.
Read on for our perhaps not comprehensive, but our tried and tasted votes for the best gelato in Italy.
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Eating gelato is one of the best things to do in Italy. If you want more things to add to your Italian bucket list, check out our Italy bucket list article.
Cremeria Cavour – Bologna, Italy
Head here in the afternoon or evening and expect to see a line out the door. In fact, one of our first visits was a Saturday evening. We waited around 45 minutes. It’s the longest line we’ve ever seen for a gelateria and Cremeria Cavour isn’t even in a location with many passer-bys. It’s a destination and people visiting here are making a highly conscious decision to visit.
Heading to Bologna? Check out our guide to spending 3 days in Bologna here.
Whilst you may need to wait, typically the lines move quickly. In some ways, I feel like I hadn’t really experienced good gelato until I visited Cavour. I’m not surprised some 2 years on, that Cavour makes its mark at number one on our list of the best gelato in Italy.
So what’s all the fuss about? Cremeria Cavour serves up a range of artisanal flavours, fruit gelato and granita. The quality of the gelato across the board is exceptional. Personally, I’ve tried upwards of 15 flavours, and they were all of the highest echelon. No duds among them. Favourites here would be ‘Cavour’, a lemon cream with tiny pieces of puff pasta, Bacio, the chocolate hazelnut flavour and cremina pistachio. There are a host of heavenly cremina flavours. They are on another plane to their non-cremina versions which are still very good.
For greatest impact, get three flavours. You’ll have one flavour loaded into your cone and two on top. For chocolate lovers, be sure to get a dripping of melted chocolate in your cone. There is no opportunity to be disappointed.
Enjoy your gelato underneath the porticos of Piazza Cavour and complete an incredibly Bolognese experience. And the very best gelato experience in all of Italy in our humble opinion.
You’ll find Cremeria Cavour at Piazza Camillo Benso Conte di Cavour, 1/d/e, 40124 Bologna BO, Italy.
Cremeria Santo Stefano – Bologna, Italy
Would you believe that two of the best gelaterias in the world are a meagre 500 metres away from each other? That’s not us having only visited one city and eaten at 3 stores. The competition between Santo Stefano and Cremeria Cavour is fierce. Ask any local, and they’ll proffer either Cavour or Santo Stefano.
Santo Stefano was our closest gelateria to our Airbnb on the last two trips to Bologna. Its proximity made us think that we were biasing factors that were nothing to do with the gelato. Your mind will do that you know!
Having tried over a dozen gelaterias in Bologna, including the reputedly best of the best that we’ve read on blogs, Google Reviews and Swarm, this one does indeed stand out. What luck to have it so close to our apartment.
It’s a hole in the wall gelateria, with a narrow view to the kitchen where the magic happens. There’s one table inside. For the most part, you’ll stand outside to finish off your gelato in the shady luminescence of the lights from the gelateria.
The difference between here and Cremeria Cavour is slight. Kristen will argue her most favourite flavour belongs to Santo Stefano – Salted Pistachio. It’s a strong, creamy flavour, that leaves a puffy layer of goodness on your tongue that remains minutes after you’ve finished it. Full marks for longevity.
The weekly special on our last trip was a perfect complement. A torte and lemon cream flavour was a mix of salty lemon and cake. Real chunks of cake which activated every taste bud. Luckily it survived the week we were in town, as that combination became my go to.
Santo Stefano might come out on top if it had 3-4 more flavours in the same high esteem as the Salted Pistachio. I’m happy to be proven wrong on another visit.
You’ll find Cremeria Santo Stefano at Via Santo Stefano, 70/c, 40125 Bologna BO, Italy.
Suso – Venice, Italy
Being the popular tourist destination that it is, Venice is home to the highest density of sh*t gelato. In the summer, people are hot, willing to pay and almost don’t care what they get as long as it’s cold.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Ain’t no one got time for bad gelato.
Weaving through the back alleyways, finding Suso is akin to stumbling upon a desert oasis. Interestingly, Suso breaks one of my own rules for delivering the best gelato. The gelato is on display rather than kept at the right temperature in tins. Who knows where they’d rank if they cared for their precious gelato properly!
Despite this, their fruit flavours in particular are a refreshing stand out. These flavours almost feel like you’re eating the smooth, chilled remains of a mango. Or a lemon with just enough citrus, but not enough to make you wince. Or a strawberry where after 15 seconds you’re not quite sure if you’ve a strawberry in your mouth or gelato. It’s the perfect fruit balance in gelato. It is these flavours that see it reach number three against all the odds.
You’ll find Suso Venice at Calle della Bissa, 5453, 30124 San Marco, Venezia VE, Italy.
Cremeria Emilia – Parma, Modena
With a handful of stores scattered through the Reggio-Emilia region (and even a couple internationally), Cremeria Emilia makes the list at number 4. Making the most subtle flavours memorable is their stand out capability. You’ll notice on Cremeria Emilia’s menu that the flavours are quite simple. A lot are based around cream and milk. There are chocolate and nut varieties. This vote is for its ability to effectively do vanilla better than anywhere else. And in multiple iterations.
On one occasion I went all out and had the Fiordilatte and the Crema. You wouldn’t think two flavours with simple ingredients as milk and cream can taste so different. Somehow they manage it. Cremeria Emilia are the absolute best at the simplest flavours possible. For those looking for some greater flavour, their Nutella varieties are heavenly.
And if you’re in Modena, why not go all out and request a very special Modenese addition? The home of balsamic vinegar – real balsamic vinegar. A drop of this on your gelato will give you a flavour sensation you’re sure to have nowhere else.
You’ll find Cremeria Emilia in numerous locations. We’ve tried it in Parma and Modena. But there are also stores in Naples and even Romania and Spain.
Gelateria La Romana – Turin
Our first visit to a gelateria in Turin was to Gelateria La Romana. What a mistake. No other gelato we ate in Turin was truly comparable. We ended up going back after trying many others. Not unlike the aforementioned gelaterias, you’ll find a line here most times of day.
La Romana gets their vote on the list for their extensive and delectable chocolate flavours. From Cioccolato al latte to Ciocolato fondente and more, the chocolate lover will be in heaven here. Well maybe not heaven – there may be too many chocolate flavours to try!
La Romana has 3 outlets in Turin and unlike the prior gelaterias also stands aside with its significant seating it provides. That didn’t get it on the list, but it is a nice benefit!
You’ll find Gelateria La Romana at Via Santa Teresa, 6, 10121 Torino TO, Italy. There are also a number of other outlets on their website through Italy and Europe.
Notable mention: Grom, various locations
A notable mention goes to Grom who has various locations throughout Italy. This would be the best with a consistent offering across the multiple stores we tried.
The portions are reasonable, cones full with crunch and an honourable range of flavours.
Some supermarkets even stock Grom as a premium eat at home product. This isn’t how gelato is best enjoyed in Italy. However, if you’re in a bind, it makes for a better option than some non-descript gelateria.
You’ll find Grom throughout Italy, including some supermarkets as mentioned.
In conclusion
I’m sure everyone has their opinion on the best gelato in Italy. We’d love to hear your favourites. We’re always willing to try new ones out. Let us know below!
Yup we have eaten our fair share of gelato in Italy. The last time we were in Rome for a weekend en route from Asia to the States, we ate so much of it, that I actually got sick. Yup. Sad day indeed.. but definitely an overdose of sugar and all that good stuff. I love the places that serve up the natural stuff and yet still have the amazing variety of unique flavours. Not a huge fan of the brightly colored gelato packed with coloring etc. Ok maybe that was your last post. I will have to check.
Your photos made my mouth water a few times just looking at those gorgeous cones.
Peta
Ha! Yes brightly covered ones are off limits to us 🙂
It’s easy to overdose on gelato, but that would be some sort of heaven and hell in one for me!