What was your favorite gelato?

I’m quizzing the kids on their Italy memories. Since, Monkey’s in her “no clue” phase, we’re starting with an easy question.

Yessa: When we were going up the mountain in Bolzano. We stopped at a place on the way down (Gelateria Eccetera). The Vanilla was awesome, the Nutella was awesome. It made me want more Nutella it was so good. This was the first good gelateria we went too and all the kids remember it fondly.

Buster: Don’t know. My favorite depends on the place. I always sampled Chocolate, often Limone and Fragola.

Monkey: You know my favorite flavor (strachiatella). I can’t say what my favorite place was. My least favorite was the fancy place in Florence (Grom). It tasted incorrect. Strachiatella should be white with the chocolate in it, but this was yellowish and it tasted like milk, rather than gelato.

Buds: This was the first place I noticed Fior De Latte “flower of milk”, the pretentious purist gelato.

Yessa: At Grom, I didn’t like when all the Vanillas were yellow. It didn’t look appetizing. My new favorite flavor is Vanilla because it’s the base. Without it you can’t have anything.

Jennie: My favorite gelato memory was in San Gimignano (Piazza Della Cisterna, San Gimignano). We got one flavor before lunch and another after. These were the best of all. I had Tiramisu and Coffee. We ate them sitting on the cistern in this beautiful square.

Buds: I spent my time looking for the strangest flavors. I loved a Sicilian medley with candied fruit at Grom in Florence. Apparently, I’m alone in that. We also found a little spot near a small Piazza in Florence (Il Gelato Gourmet di Marco Ottaviano) that was awesome. I had Ricotta with Figs and Walnuts *and* Rose flavored gelato there. It had the highbrow flavors of Grom with a friendly attitude.

Jennie: The place close to the bridge in Florence (Gelato Santa Trinita) was also great. We stopped there a few times. Large servings of creamy goodness.

Buds: Lastly, I should mention this place in Rome by the Coloseum. We had had a few iffy gelatos in Rome but this was absolutely first class and friendly.