Upon my arrival in Rome this semester, I had one goal: to find the best gelato in the city. (Okay, I have other goals and plans, but this is clearly the most important). With gelaterias around every corner, I was sure I was going to have to try dozens of different places before I met my goal.
But, with help from some people on my program, I can confidently say I have found the best gelato in Rome. From the low price to their attention to detail, La Romana Gelaterie in Ostiense has forever changed gelato in my mind. Let me take you through the process:
Photo by Gaby Maniscalco
One thing that’s interesting about ordering food in Italy is the fact that you pay for your food before you actually order, and that rule is in place here. So, you go up to the person at the cash register and choose how many flavors you want. (I’ve been going with a small, which is two flavors and only costs two Euro).
Photo courtesy of @gelaterialaromana on Instagram
You then get a receipt and tell the next person working if you want a cup or cone. My best advice is to not miss out on the cone.
If (when) you pick a cone, you’ll notice that there are two giant faucets of liquid chocolate that are literally running 24/7. One is hazelnut chocolate and one is white chocolate, and they fill your cone up with it for free before they put your ice cream in.
Photo by Gaby Maniscalco
Then you pick your flavors. La Romana has all the traditional flavors; everything from fruity flavors like lemon and pear to dark chocolate, eggnog and panna cotta. Check out the list here; it’s in Italian so you may want to translate your page.
I’ve been going with coffee chip and dark chocolate, but there are hundreds of combinations you could come up with. Don’t forget to top off your cone with some homemade whipped cream: I recommend the coffee flavor.
Photo by Gaby Maniscalco
As you get to the bottom of your cone and start to lament over the fact that the best gelato of your life is running out, you’ll hit that warm liquid-chocolate filled center and use every ounce of your will power to not get back in line for a second cone. (Or go for it, I’m not judging).
Even though you just ate a ton of gelato, La Romana uses fresh ingredients and organic milk, so you’ll skip the food coma. If you’re not in the Garbatella area, I highly recommend taking the metro over, or checking out one of their other locations.