Lifestyle

Whip up your own gelato at Rome’s oldest gelateria



“Everybody, listen up! Helen and Oli here have just made gelato for the first time — who wants to try some?” We stare at the blank faces on the other side of the counter. “It’s free!” I squeak. A few shrugs are followed by a cluster of hands grabbing spoons loaded with our freshly made banana gelato. We wait for the verdict. A wave of enthusiasm breaks out — a young man gives me a thumbs-up and mouths: “It’s good!”

Thank God. I didn’t expect this Gelato Sweet Creations workshop, offered by Access Italy, to be so nerve-wracking — or so hands-on. Giolitti is reportedly Rome’s oldest gelateria, dating to 1890, and famous for featuring in the Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck film Roman Holiday. On a busy day Giolitti whips up a metric ton of gelato to feed tourists.

World Giolitti’s Cup, an ice cream created to celebrate holding the World Cup in Italy in 1990.

We jump the queue and head to the kitchen for our VIP experience. We don hats and gloves before being given bananas to peel, then weigh sugar, pour out milk and do whatever the gelato aficionado tells us via our guide. “Lady!” he says when he wants my attention (an honorific I relish).

Two things strike me. First, there aren’t any chemicals. The banana variant has just four ingredients (bananas, milk, fresh orange juice and sugar), while the chocolate flavour has cocoa powder, milk, cream, egg yolks and sugar. It’s easy to believe it is “healthy”, as the staff tell us — just ignore the calorie count.

Second, it’s quick to whip up… when you have a €25,000 professional gelato maker at your disposal. The prep takes us novices 10 to 15 minutes: the mixture disappears into the machine, and boom! Out comes the gelato 12 minutes later. Forget freezing overnight or stirring or any of the tedious things you might do at home. As it spools out of the bottom I catch it in a silver tureen.

Helen and Oli get creative in the kitchen

The worst bit of the experience is having our efforts judged on the shop floor — but that’s followed by the best bit. We take a seat at our table on the eat-in side of the gelateria, where we are given the instruction everyone dreams of hearing in an ice-cream parlour: “Order what you like.” The eight-year-old me would try to eat her way through the menu. The 32-year-old me is more practical. I try black cherry, pistachio and Disaronno amaretto gelato scoops, with sugary cream. And a cannoli (they do great desserts). Add a macchiato to cut through the sweetness.

We finish with an introduction to the owner’s mother, as close to a stereotypical Italian grandmother as you can get. She sits at her regular table, speaking to our guide: I instinctively know, without understanding much Italian, that she is cataloguing her ailments with grace. Our guide confirms my suspicions but then reveals that the sprightly woman in front of us is 92. If this is what comes from a gelato diet, I’ll have what she’s having.

Details 

Access Italy (accessitaly.net) offers gelato-making from €700 for two people, including a tour leader and transportation.



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