Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
gelato—they refuse to make them out of
season when the local fruit's not ripe.
Encouraged by the raging success of the
Via Acacia shop (at one point the city had to
detail policemen to manage the lines out-
side), the Alongis opened more branches
around Rome, most notably one on via
della Panetteria, where tourist foot traffic
from the nearby Trevi Fountain ensures a
steady stream of business. They claim,
however, that they will never open a branch
outside of Italy, lest different local products
alter their formulas or long-distance ship-
ping admits breaches in their strict tem-
perature regulation. With marketing flair,
they have furnished the shops with a
streamlined modern look that looks more
like a laboratory than a gelato parlor—the
servers even wear white coats.
Via Della Panetteria (
&
39/6/679 39
24
); Via Acaia 56 (
&
39/6/704 504 12
);
also at Via Collatina, Piazza della Madd-
alena; and Fiumincino airport; www.ilgelato
disancrispino.it.
(
Leonardo da Vinci International Air-
port (Fiumicino; 30km/19 miles).
L
$$$ Hotel de Russie,
Via del
Babuino 9 (
&
800/323-7500
in North
America, or 39/6/328881; www.rocco
fortehotels.com). $
Hotel Grifo,
Via del
Boschetto 144 (
&
39/6/4871395;
www.
hotelgrifo.com).
Ice Creameries
495
La Sorbetteria Castiglione
Frozen in Time
Bologna, Italy
The third in Italy's trio of destination gelato
shops is in some ways the most evocative.
It's set on the southeast fringe of Bologna's
historic center, a stunning panorama of
sienna-colored buildings, marbled side-
walks, and arched porticos; walking here
on a soft summer evening for your nightly
gelato fix, you almost feel as if you're in a
Merchant-Ivory movie. The deliberately old-
fashioned tin street sign above
La Sorbet-
teria Castiglione
makes it look as if it's
been here a lot longer than since 1994.
Inside the gleaming shop, you'll notice
that the servers are scooping the gelato
from unmarked stainless-steel contain-
ers—a good sign that the gelato is made
on premises, rather than shipped in from
some industrial plant in plastic tubs.You'll
also notice the chunks of chocolate, fresh
fruit, candied nuts, even caramelized fig
mixed into the creamy egg-based gelato.
And looking up at the menu posted above
the counter, you'll see signature flavors
charmingly named after owners Giacomo
and Marina Schiavon's children (like crema
Michelangelo, praline almond; crema Edo-
ardo, mascarpone with caramelized pine
nuts; or dolce Karin, white chocolate and
hazelnut crunch); the menu itself is printed
over black-and-white photos of the kids.
La Sorbettaria Castiglione is the sort of
artisanal gelato maker you'd expect in Ita-
ly's gastronomic capital. The Schiavons
also run a confectionery shop down the
street (
Il Coccolato,
Via Castiglione 44/B)
that sells some wonderful handmade
chocolates, presumably the same choco-
late that studs the sumptuously rich
stra-
ciatelle
gelato, and that turns the dark
chocolate gelato into a revelatory experi-
ence. Like most Bologna gelati, La Sorbet-
taria's is not overly sweet, allowing the
various flavors to shine through; the Schia-
vons don't offer as many flavors as some
of their rivals do, but that allows them to
focus on the flavors they do best. The fact
that La Sorbetteria Castiglione is often
cited as Italy's best gelato (which probably
