Now that I am back in Boston, I have a lot of time on my hands for reflection and writing. Before leaving Nantes after living there for two years, I travelled for one month throughout Italy, Belgium, and Great Britain. In the coming weeks, I will share with you a bite of my travels... I will share with you some of the wonderful things I ate.
Because it's hard to write on the road, I took many photos, but unfortunately was not able to write much. Now is the time to catch up on all the meals worth sharing with you that I was lucky enough to discover in the last couple of months.
For this reason, the timeline will be a bit choppy, and for that I apologize. I just have so much to catch up on!
Let's waste no time. Let's start with a classic food blog entry: ice cream.
Gelato Italiano is by all accounts, just ice cream. But for some reason, the Italians do it so well. At every single Gelateria, from the most simple and tourist infested to the artisanal parlors, their ice cream never seems to disappoint. Maybe it's the insane variety of flavors. Or maybe the rich creamy-ness. Or maybe it's just the fact it's ice cream in ITALY. Whatever the reason, true Italian gelato always seems to taste heavenly. Here are a few snapshots of some of my favorite ones, and mind you, I tried a lot. I was travelling alone for a few days in Florence and then Verona. What is a girl to do?
*As always, I urge you to click on each photo for an enlarged version of it. That way you can savor each snapshot even more! Thanks!
My First Gelateria.
Gelateria dei Neri in the Santa Croce Neighborhood in Florence.
Via dei Neri 25, 50122 Firenze, Italia
Nope, not vanilla. It was half Gorgonzola gelato and half hazelnut.
This Gelateria is also known for its Granita, which is similar to what we know as Italian ice.
This place, I'm told is old, traditional, family owned, and very well known with queues usually reaching the back and flowing into the street. I, though, was SO lucky and got there early. I was the only one in the shop!
Gelateria Santa Trinita in Florence. In the Santa Trinita Neighborhood.
Piazza Frescobaldi, 11-12/r
50125 Firenze, Italia
Coffee and White Peach. Melting fast!!! It was scalding hot that day in Florence.
This gelateria is good, but I heard way too much English in there. Tourist trap? I don't know, but it sure was trendy, and very polished.
And only a bridge away, Gelateria La Carraia
Piazza Nazario Sauro, 25/r Firenze, Italia
My now FAVORITE flavor: Pistacchio. also, Chocolate, and Cherry.
The BEST pistacchio gelato I had in Italy
Gelateria Giolitti
Via degli Uffici del Vicario, 40
00186 Roma, Italia
Historic 1900s dairy turned Gelateria and tea room, this bustling and over crowded spot DID deliver in the quality and taste department. The price and relatively long wait was worth it for the best gelato in Rome (in my humble opinion.) All the servers, dressed in black and white had to be quick and efficient in order to handle the throngs of locals and tourists alike. When Clare and I finally made it to the front, the server was actually quite nice and very polite.
Nocciola (hazelnut) and wait for it... Champagne sorbetto. Don't judge me on the weird combination of flavors- I just really wanted to try both!
For my last gelato in Italy I headed for
Gelateria Artigianale Pistacchio
Via XX Settembre Verona, Italia
I couldn't leave Italy without having my favorite flavor of all time (pistacchio, of course.) This time I combined it with Lime Sorbetto. The lime was so refreshing and smooth. I couldn't get enough.
