Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
have been able to obtain that day, the long
list of possibilities includes several varia-
tions on chocolate and caramel, as well as
pistachio, hazelnut, pignoli, orange, mint,
banana, melon, blood orange, mocha,
cappuccino, even ice creams flavored with
Grand Marnier or whiskey. Besides a dizzy-
ing number of fruit sorbets (including pink
grapefruit, rhubarb, apricot, litchee) they
also make some liqueur-based flavors like
cassis and cocktail exotique.
Exotic as some of these flavors are—
just try to imagine what praline with lemon
and coriander tastes like!—even basic fla-
vors like chocolate and vanilla are trans-
formed when they're made with cacao
butter just flown in from the Ivory Coast or
vanilla pods from Madagascar. And, in the
words of Raymond Berthillon, you can
always tell a good ice-cream maker by the
quality of his vanilla ice-cream. The proof
is in the line running out the door, espe-
cially in hot weather: Berthillon's ice cream
is worth waiting for.
Rue St-Louis 29 (
&
33/1/43 54 31 61;
www.berthillon.fr).
(
De Gaulle (23km/14 miles); Orly (14km/
8
2
⁄
3
miles).
L
$$
La Tour Notre Dame,
20 rue du
Sommerard, 5e (
&
33/1/43-54-47-60;
www.
la-tour-notre-dame.com). $
Hotel de la
Place des Vosges
, 12 rue de Birague, 4e
(
&
33/1/42-72-60-46;
www.hotelplacedes
vosges.com).
Ice Creameries
493
Vivoli Gelato
The World Capital of Gelato
Florence, Italy
Gelato fanciers are wont to speak of Flor-
ence in hushed terms as the world capital
of Gelato. Since the 16th century, when it
was a favorite dessert of the ruling Medici
dynasty, this fabled Renaissance city has
been known for its superb gelato, made
with a milk-and-egg-yolk base that renders
it dense and creamy. Both the quantity
and the quality of the
gelateria
in Florence
today are unmatched, and every self-
styled connoisseur has his or her own
secret favorite. But in the end, almost
everyone acknowledges one spot as Flor-
ence's foremost gelateria: Vivoli.
Founded in 1930, Vivoli still has only
one shop, and an unassuming one at that,
a flat stuccoed storefront with small win-
dows and a barely noticeable orange neon
sign. The store's traditional recipes, how-
ever, produce an exceptionally rich gelato,
with a silky texture that feels magical on
Gelato from Vivoli in Florence.
