The best gelato in Rome comes from shops that make it fresh from natural ingredients. Our list starts with Giolitti and Il Gelato di San Crispino, adds creative counters like Fatamorgana, Torcè and Otaleg!, and ends with goat’s milk gelato in Monteverde Vecchio and buffalo milk gelato at a farm-to-table restaurant.
The short list
9 places, in the order they appear below.
- 01GiolittiOrder this: Rice flavour with doppia pannaGood to know: Founded 1900; pay at the till first
- 02Il Gelato di San CrispinoOrder this: Miele di San CrispinoGood to know: Served colder, never too sweet
- 03Fatamorgana | ChiavariOrder this: KentuckyGood to know: Many gluten-free and vegan flavours
- 04Gelateria Torcè - AventinoOrder this: Manjari or Chuao chocolateGood to know: Also savoury flavours like cacio e pepe
- 05Otaleg!Order this: Zabaglione with MarsalaGood to know: No artificial additives
- 06Come il LatteOrder this: Mascarpone e GentiliniGood to know: Ask for a chocolate-lined cone
- 07Giuffrè Forno & Gelato | TrastevereOrder this: Brioche con gelatoGood to know: Pastry shop, good for breakfast
- 08La GourmandiseOrder this: Lemon verbena, raw pistachioGood to know: Goat's milk, cups only
- 09Ruma Bottega e Cucina AgricolaOrder this: Buffalo milk hazelnutGood to know: Restaurant, best after dinner
Which Rome gelaterie are worth visiting for classic creams?
Giolitti, a gelateria and pastry shop founded in 1900, still works with fresh milk, seasonal fruit and pure cocoa. Il Gelato di San Crispino takes a quieter line. Its gelato is served colder than usual, so it turns silky, and it is never too sweet.
At Giolitti, pay at the till first; sitting at a table costs more. We order the rice flavour, which still has real grains of rice in it, with doppia panna: whipped cream in the bottom of the cone and again on top.
Giolitti
Hours: Mon–Sun 07:30–00:00
Address: Via degli Uffici del Vicario, 40, 00186 Roma RM, Italia
San Crispino’s scoop to taste is the Miele di San Crispino. It’s made with Sardinian strawberry tree honey and finishes slightly bitter. For a second flavour, pick the zabaglione, whisky or Armagnac cream, and you’ll notice how light the hand is with sugar.
Il Gelato di San Crispino
Hours: Mon–Sun 11:00–00:30
Address: Via della Panetteria, 42, 00187 Roma RM, Italia
Where can you try unusual gelato flavours in Rome?
If you want flavours well beyond pistachio and chocolate, go to these three shops. Fatamorgana on Via dei Chiavari mixes classic creams with experimental seasonal combinations. Gelateria Torcè on Viale Aventino made its name with savoury gelato such as cacio e pepe. Otaleg! works with fruit, herbs and spices, all made without artificial additives.
Locals rate one Fatamorgana flavour above the rest: Kentucky, dark chocolate with tobacco leaf. It sounds like a dare. It tastes smoky and grown-up. Anyone avoiding gluten or dairy can choose from a good share of the case.
Fatamorgana | Chiavari
Hours: Mon 12:00–23:00 · Tue 13:00–23:00 · Wed–Thu 12:00–23:00 · Fri–Sat 12:00–23:50 · Sun 12:00–23:00
Address: Via dei Chiavari, 37A, 00186 Roma RM, Italia
At Torcè, have one savoury scoop for the story, then spend the rest of your cup on chocolate, which is what Claudio Torcè is known for across the city. Skip the generic names and order by origin, say the Manjari from Madagascar or the Chuao from Venezuela.
Gelateria Torcè - Aventino
Hours: Mon 12:30–20:00 · Tue–Thu 12:30–21:30 · Fri–Sat 12:30–22:00 · Sun 12:30–21:30
Address: Viale Aventino, 59, 00153 Roma RM, Italia
Otaleg!, on Via di San Cosimato, has excellent fruit flavours. We’d still judge it by the zabaglione, which gets its depth from good Marsala. The room is modern and relaxed, and easy to linger in.
Otaleg!
Hours: Mon–Sun 12:00–00:00
Address: Via di S. Cosimato, 14a, 00153 Roma RM, Italia
Where to get gelato in a brioche or a chocolate-lined cone in Rome?
Two shops add something to the scoop. Come il Latte makes its gelato every day from fresh milk, organic eggs and seasonal produce, and if you ask, staff will fill your cone with dark chocolate from a fountain before the scoops go in. In Trastevere, Giuffrè is really a contemporary pastry shop, so its gelato tastes best tucked into a soft Sicilian brioche.
Mascarpone cream is the house specialty at Come il Latte. In the Mascarpone e Gentilini version it’s folded with Gentilini, the biscuits Romans are fondest of, for a nostalgic crunch. Want more than a cone? There are warm brownies with gelato, and affogato.
Come il Latte
Hours: Mon–Sun 12:00–23:00
Address: Via Silvio Spaventa, 24/26, 00187 Roma RM, Italia
Giuffrè’s Sicilian owner is devoted to laminated and yeasted doughs, so order the brioche con gelato. We’d stop in for breakfast too, when the modern pastries come filled with homemade creams.
Giuffrè Forno & Gelato | Trastevere
Hours: Mon–Sun 08:00–23:00
Address: Viale di Trastevere, 255, 00153 Roma RM, Italia
Which Rome gelaterie use goat or buffalo milk?
Two places swap cow’s milk for something else. La Gourmandise, a small shop in Monteverde Vecchio run by chef Dario Benelli, bases most of its flavours on goat’s milk. Ruma Bottega e Cucina Agricola is a restaurant that cooks with produce from small local farmers, and its buffalo milk gelato is denser and creamier than the cow’s milk kind.
La Gourmandise serves everything in cups, no cones. Flavours follow the season, with herbs, flowers and aged cheeses; we always hope for lemon verbena, or lavender and ginger. Raw pistachio and salted chocolate are always on. It’s a detour from the centre, and worth making.
La Gourmandise
Hours: Mon 11:00–22:00 · Tue–Wed closed · Thu 11:00–22:00 · Fri–Sat 11:00–23:00 · Sun 11:00–22:00
Address: Via Felice Cavallotti, 36b, 00152 Roma RM, Italia
At Ruma, come for a dinner of vegetable dishes straight from the field. Finish with the buffalo milk gelato, hazelnut if you can.
Ruma Bottega e Cucina Agricola
Hours: Mon–Tue closed · Wed 16:00–23:30 · Thu–Sun 12:00–23:30
Address: Via di Parione, 13, 00186 Roma RM, Italia
Which Rome gelateria should you pick?
It depends on what you want from the scoop. Classic creams mean Giolitti or San Crispino. Fatamorgana, Torcè and Otaleg! have the flavours you won’t taste at home. Come il Latte and Giuffrè pair gelato with chocolate or pastry, while La Gourmandise and Ruma use goat and buffalo milk. The table below lists what to order at each.
Plan gelato around where you already are rather than crossing the city for a single scoop. Save Monteverde Vecchio and Viale Aventino for an afternoon with time to spare. Opening days vary from shop to shop, so check each card before you set out. And a small cup with two flavours makes it easy to fit more than one gelateria into a day.
