A final gelato before driving to the airport. There really wasn't any point to stopping at Belluno other than for a break from Cortina and to repack our bags. But the gelato happened to be across the road to where we parked, and so lucky for me!
I skipped past Gelato di Natura (reading and seeing for myself that it was akin to Suso) and instead went for the highly rated option in the local north. It was late in the evening and they had run out of pistachio, but added a tiny little speck on top of my choices just to let me try.
Cremino al pistachio (dark chocolate with pistachio cream) and mango were both good and fine. I didn't think either of them were mindblowing and I would choose Suso for flavour and location, although at €1.8 for 1 scoop and €2.8 for 2 scoops you can't beat Bacaro for price or value.
By far the most expensive and my favourite gelato place I tried in Venice. At €2.2 for a specialty flavour or €1.8 for a standard flavour, the price per scoop means there's no advantage to sharing one cone with 2 scoops. Lucky the quality (and location right near Rialto bridge) makes up for it.
Dark chocolate was intense and not sweet. Manet was a mix of pistachio with salt crystals and chocolate hazelnut - lots of flavours and good mix.
I went the next day for a midday gelato and tried the unadulterated pistachio which was potent and had little pieces of nut - outstanding. Noce & fichi seemed to have minimal hazelnut but caramelized fig pieces made it sweet and dark. Really good.
One of the best in one of the best locations anywhere in the world.
On the very first evening after arriving late into Venice, it was time to see what goes on in Dorsoduro on a Friday night. The young ones were out and about drinking, smoking and sitting around Campo Santa Margherita and the nearby bridge, along with the world's largest seagulls.
Despite not feeling food, gelato was on the cards for a warm, humid evening and I caught Il Doge just as the guy was closing the outside rails. He relented for me and I started a train of business for the next 10 mins.
Pistachio was very good. Il Doge was a special of theirs with orange and mild chocolate. It had a few ice crystals but otherwise ok. The dark chocolate looked thick for next time although I never made it back there. Very cheap €1.8 for 1 scoop or €3 for 2 was decent value.
A good option for the area.
After the relatively disappointing flavours at Kayak, I found the familiar name of Solo in Thira. Given we were planning the 30min walk from Imerovigli in the 27C heat, it was a nice end point to aim for. I had tried them before in Corfu (https://eatlikeushi.posthaven.com/solo-gelato-corfu-09-2019) and thought they were fine. We passed a store selling Kayak during the walk, and happily bypassed it to go the final 10mins.
€2.5 for a single scoop or €4 for a double. Pistachio was mild but good, coconut was thick and delicious, banoffee was really sweet and slightly artificial tasting, and there was another tried that I can't remember. It all melted quickly all over the floor as the cones were filled but one was cracked. However it's a good safe bet on a summer day (or any day for that matter).
I wanted to go to Lolita's in Oia, but it is closed on Sunday. The next closest option was Kayak.
Pistachio great colour and little crushed bits but flavour very mild not very sweet, but creamy. Yogurt smooth and a tiny bit tangy. It was really expensive at €3.5 per scoop, but to enjoy the sunset with a gelato is priceless (or at least worth €3.5 each).
Also sold in some cafes on the island but easy to skip if you can find another decent and cheaper one instead.
Lockdown has been ongoing for about 7 weeks or so. One of the common questions asked is "what will you do/eat once lockdown is lifted?" There are many possibilities, but I stuck to a simple one - gelato outside.
With the weather warming up (although I accept gelato on a cold day when rugged up warm is probably better overall), a cool afternoon of 12C and the surprise discovery of the local gelateria being open meant serendipity. Apparently they had just opened over the weekend (this was a Monday) and the queues went all the way to the tube station in 2m intervals.
Unfortunately they were out of pistachio, a light green (maybe a little more green than I usually like) so will have to try that next time. Instead there was hazelnut and a yoghurt/cherry. The hazelnut was very mild in flavour, much more so than the true Italian nocciolas. The yoghurt/cherry was alright with the cherry being glaced but not like those horrid sweet bright versions. The textures were good and no ice crystals.
I'll be back to try the pistachio and to support the local business and my own gelato tendencies. Although I think I may need to get some Grom/Remeo/Waitrose pistachio for home anyway.
But I wouldn't be denied this time and the the perfectly pale brown pistachio was complemented by a chocolate. There was one or two ice crystals, but the flavours for good and reasonably strong, particularly the pistachio.
I would have no qualms (other than distance) to go back. I don't know if I'd try any of the creative flavours, but who needs to when you know what you like. I might replace the chocolate with hazelnut next time, if there is one.
A near perfect gelateria in Tirana that I stumbled across by accident. There's nothing like gelato on a winters day.
Excellent pistachio with a perfect colour (pictured with a decent chocolate) and also unpictured hazelnut (as expected from the name). A couple of ice crystals but otherwise perfect. 100 lek per scoop is remarkably cheap.
I actually wanted to go to the gelato place across the road (Heladeria Encantadas y Dulces), but for some reason it wasn't going to be open for another 30mins (and this was 4.30pm). There didn't seem to be much point waiting and the quality at Ravello looked adequate.
Forest fruits (frutas del bosque) and hazelnut (avellana) were alright and filled the need. Just as we finished, the other one opened.