Gelato

Gelato is Italy's beloved frozen dessert — and while it is often translated simply as 'ice cream', the two are not the same. Gelato is made with a higher proportion of milk to cream and little or no egg, so it carries less fat than American-style ice cream. It is churned slowly, which whips in far less air, giving gelato its signature dense, elastic body and clean, concentrated flavour.

Served a few degrees warmer than ice cream, it melts almost immediately on the tongue, releasing the taste of real pistachio, hazelnut, lemon or dark chocolate without a numbing chill. A good gelateria makes it fresh each day in small batches, and the best displays keep the gelato in covered steel tins rather than piled into showy, brightly coloured mountains. Whether scooped into a cup or a cone, it is one of the simplest and most reliable pleasures of an Italian summer. Pair a stroll for gelato with a slice of tiramisù for a full tour of Italy's sweet table.

Frozen desserts have deep roots in Italy. Renaissance Florence is often credited as gelato's birthplace, with the Medici court and figures such as the architect Bernardo Buontalenti associated with early frozen creams in the sixteenth century. The Sicilian cook Francesco Procopio dei Coltelli later helped popularise the treat in Paris, opening the famous Café Procope and spreading Italian-style ices across Europe.

Today gelato is woven into the rhythm of Italian daily life. The evening passeggiata — a slow, sociable walk through town — is frequently built around a stop for a cone, and artisanal gelato is a point of national pride, with makers competing at festivals and guarding regional specialities like Sicilian pistachio from Bronte. It remains a craft dessert, judged on the quality of its milk, nuts and fruit rather than on flashy presentation.