Gelateria Torcè

Gelateria Torcè serves gelato from a counter in a calm part of Parioli, a neighbourhood shop that people heading home tend to pass without a thought until the smell pulls them in. The flavour list is both long and imaginative, pairing gorgonzola and pear, Cointreau and orange peel, and black sesame with caramel that keeps its shape rather than turning to syrup. On most afternoons families pack in around the counter, often with children still in their school uniforms, and vegan and gluten-free choices mean nobody in a group is left out.

Of the long list on offer, which runs from gorgonzola and pear to Cointreau with orange peel, the choice people who live in Rome make before any other is black sesame with caramel, and their reason is practical. When the afternoon turns hot, that is what vanishes quickest from the counter, and afternoons are also when families with children dressed for school crowd in. Its caramel keeps its shape instead of dissolving into syrup, so the flavour holds together once served. So put it at the top of your order.