I love Gelato. To me, a gelato cone is a critical essential of a day in Italy. We have taken to going to Natale, a gelateria near the Piazza Sant’Oronzo, at sunset. Now mind you most Italians in the piazza are not eating gelato at sunset. Dinner is at 8 pm so it is a bit early for gelato. But not for us. We like to perambulate around the ruins of the Roman Amphitheater for several circuits and people watch.
Natale is more than just a gelateria. It is also a pasticcieria and a candy store. Though Easter is in mid-April, the windows are ostentaciously decorated now.
But the most wonderful sight in the window were these…
Solid chocolate, locks, keys, wrenches, gears and hinges with a dusting of chocolate powder to mimic rust. Mesmerizing.
After eyeing even more Easter possibilities it was time for the gelato. I had read that two gelato flavors were quintessetially Apulian, pistacchio and almond. The tub of pistacchio was covered with the pale green chopped nuts. This gelato’s color is not green but a subtle, dark creamy hue. Our choice. Other things to notice. This gelato is silky smooth and cloudlike. It’s texture is nothing like American ice cream or gelato. The flavor is heavenly and very, very sweet.
Wish you could have a taste…
MedFlies 
This is possiby your best post ever.
I am so pleased you enjoyed it. So many more flavors to try…
This is torture! How could you do this to us??? Seriously, I am stunned at the beauty of Italian presentation. Simply gorgeous. Beauty at every table, window and rack. From the tip of the boot to the Alps over the top bella, bella, bella. Southern Italy is often made fun of by northerners. Doesn’t look so backward to me. Buon appetito! And, you are right. Real gelato is not the same as “fat” ice cream we get in the states. Terry
Today we did a most interesting thing. We went to a Palazzo just around the corner from our apartment. We expected it to be much like one we visited in Noto, Sicily, an 18th century home of a family of means. But no. It is the excavation of what was beneath the Palazzo, a room of stone pools to hold the olive oil prepared for lamps. Lecce was the sister city of Rome during the Roman Empire and much of the reason resides in its production of olive oil for lighting. It was preferred all over the kingdoms of the Empire as it burned cleanly without smoke or odor. So in the Roman times Lecce was prominent and respected and the “sister city” of Rome. It was in susequent centuries that it came to be looked down on by people in the north of Italy. They saw Puglia as poor and uncultured. The Puglian natives take great umbrage at this northern snootiness.
Such colorful Easter packages of sweets along with yummy gelato. What a treat for the eyes and taste buds and to think that you get to do that every day! Eating gelato was one of the highlights of our tour of Italy. Buon appetito!
I have never had almond gelato. It is common here as almonds are grown in Puglia (or Apulia as it is called here.) Most unexpected gelator flavor.
I should have known better than to open a MedFlies email captioned Gelato at 5 in the morning. Now the craving will go hours and hours and hours and hours without satisfaction.
Yes. Once gelato enters your mind, your stomach is sure to follow. It is a dangerous ritual.