Sun, sun, sun ... and gelato

Finally, a day without rain. I thinks this marks only the third such day since we've been here. And we tried to take full advantage of the good weather. We visited a playground, walked a bit around the city, and just generally tried to be outdoors - and without coats - as much as possible.

But the best part about today's weather is that it justified a visit to a gelateria. Now, that's not to say we haven't had a lot of gelato throughout all this rain - we have. (See the kids holding the evidence - the empty cups - in the photo in front of the Trevi fountain following the huge rainstorm a few days ago). But good as the gelato has been, it is even better when it can be enjoyed in the warm sun.

While we've been here we've sampled a lot of gelato, from many different establishments. How could we give you our opinion if we didn't! Just like with ice cream in the states, you can get this tasty treat at places that serve only gelato, or places where it is just one of many items on the menu. In the same way, there are gelato "chain restaurants" and the more "boutique" shops.

The key is to find the places that make good gelato, at a good price. A reasonably priced "small" serving of gelato in the heart of Rome goes for 2 euros (about $2.70). You can pay a lot more near some of the major landmarks - Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, Colosseum, etc., but that doesn't guarantee the best quality. However, there is some gelato worth paying a little more for. Della Palma (located near the Pantheon on Via della Maddalena) has some (if not the!) widest selection of gelato in Rome and just about every taste combination one could dream up. It's definitely worth a taste, but for 4.50 euro it is hard to sample their flavors on a regular basis.

Now, if you want both really good taste and a reasonable price, go to Giolitti's. Giolitti's is one of the oldest gelato establishments in Rome having been begun by the Giolitti family in 1890. http://www.giolitti.it/ Located on via Uffici del Vicario, 40 it is worth a visit. A 2 euro piccolo (or small) gives you more gelato (you can choose 2 flavors) than you could ever need. Here's what we ordered today:

Augustine: chocolate & bananas ... he gave both flavors rave reviews. And I have to add, the combo was pretty good.

Celia: grapefruit & tangerine (she went by the colors) ... the grapefruit was a strong flavor. Even for me. But she ate most of it. She loved the tangerine though.

CJ & Leah: Baileys & some dark moose flavor (yes, we shared, but only because we were doing "clean up" on the kids cones). Yes, ours was VERY tasty too.

... oh, and each cone gets a dollop of whipped cream on the top.

See how enormous the small is? Augustine could hardly hold it upright!

As you can see by the pictures, we very much enjoyed our gelato. (I think it required 6 wipes and a stop at one of the many public fountains to get everyone cleaned off).

I'm sure we'll have a few more favorites by the beginning of May. But we've been pretty pleased with what we've found so far!

For all the parents out there, I did want to provide photographic evidence that we did, in fact, eat lunch before the gelato. (Though that isn't a requirement!) Here are the kids enjoying a PB&J (from home) at the Pantheon.

And just to prove that, in fact, the sun was out. Here are two other shots from our walk.