When you visit Rome, you have to sample to local food and one of them is of course gelato. There are many places to eat ice cream in Rome. You could not possibly have enough time to visit all of them and sample every flavour. Here are just a few you have to try next time you are in Rome.
Giolitti
The most famous ice cream is Giolitti on the Via Uffici del Viario, a little side street near the Piazza del Parlamento. Their specialty is the chocolate flavour which I did try when I went to Rome. They also serve every ice cream with whipped cream on top. So make sure you skip lunch or have a very light one to be able to finish your ice cream.
Ciampini
Another well known gelateria is Ciampini which is in the Piazza San Lorenzo in Lucina. It is a short walk from the Giolitti ice cream shop but it seemed a lot more up market and people were not really buying ice creams, but sitting in the café drinking coffee as it was also a café/restaurant. It seemed a well off area as there were designer boutiques brands on either ends of the Piazza San Lorenzo.
Tre Scalini
Tre Scalini is an ice cream parlour and also restaurant located in the famous Piazza Novona.
It is famous for its ice cream balls which have been dipped in chocolate. They also serve whipped cream on their ice cream with a delicious wafer. The ice cream is very rich so either skip lunch and have this instead or just go for a long and fast run that morning.
San Crispino
San Crispino is on the Via della Paneteria. It is literally round the corner from the Trevi Fountain. There have been many reviews of this ice cream shop, since it first appeared in the New York Time Out. Their most famous flavour is honey and they only serve the ice cream in cups to keep the ice cream pure. There is normally a very long queue to get served in here and it costs extra if you want to sit down in the small seating area. I would recommend not and just going round to the Trevi Fountain to have your ice cream. Luckily for me there was no queue when I went (even though it was June), so I got served straight away.
Italy invented ice cream which explains why there are so many gelatos all over the country. They are everywhere in Rome, near the tourist attractions and also off the beaten track, in the less well known areas. When I stayed in Rome, I could have easily eaten 3 or 4 ice creams a day, gelaterias were very cheap and so delicious.
