Mariotti gelato on the Spanish Steps
Spagna Metro stop.
Lucky for us there was the Mariotti gelateria right outside of the Metro stop to help cool us off. I ordered two scoops of the Crème flavor – it was something of a carmel-y flavor. Two scoops in a cup cost 2.3 €.
The best thing about this gelato is its location. Just before you get to the Spanish Steps. That way, you can grab some gelato and sit on the steps with the hundreds of other tourists and people watch. I give this gelato 3.5 cones out of 5.
San Crispino
Via Della Panetteria
Located near the Trevi fountain, this gelato was my second favorite in Italy.
We walked in and I took a number from the ticket generator. The server was very personable, spoke almost perfect English, and kept trying to get us to order the gargantuan size cup of gelato for 6.5 €!
There were many new flavors here that I hadn’t seen before, like lemon, honey, etc. I asked for a taste of the honey, but found that it was a bit too strong. However, I also asked for a tast of the ginger and cinnamon, which was my ultimate choice (in a small cup for 1.7 €). It was so sweet – it was like eating a gingerbread cookie but in ice cream form.
This gelato, as I mentioned, was my second favorite on the trip. I’d rate it a 4.5 cones out of 5.
Giottos
I can’t say enough good things about the gelato here. I’m glad we followed the recommendation in our Rick Steves book to get our last Italian gelato for our trip here.
First, there were so many flavors to choose from that my taste buds were angry that I could only pick a few. We were lucky that there was a tour guide with his group behind us, as he was explaining what the different flavors were and what complimented each. His recommendation was to pair one of the fruity flavors with one of the chocolates. Once I had decided on one scoop of white chocolate with one scoop of raspberry, I went to the cashier to purchase my ticket. (Small was 1.8 € in a regular cone, medium was two scoops in a chocolate-coated cone for 2.4 €.) Then I took my ticket back to the counter to have my cone made. The gelato was so smooth that the server had to almost smoosh it into the cone, flavors side by side. I couldn’t decide which flavor was my favorite. The white chocolate had little bits of chocolate in it, and the raspberry was smooth and just tart enough to satisfy – but the bites where the two flavors went together, well it was heaven.
If you only get one gelato in Italy, make it this one. 5 cones out of 5. A perfect score.