Giolitti's

I finally made it to Giolitti's to taste the best gelato in Rome. I don't know how I have been here for 10 days and have not gone! As expected, it was the best gelato, but the actual place was not what I expected. Other gelato places I have been to or seen are small and many serve only gelato. Giolitti's looks like an enormous bar with coffee, drinks and sandwiches to the right, a case of sweets to the left, the gelato counter toward the back, and a beautiful room of tables beyond that.

Hilary told me that you have to order and pay first at the register, then show your receipt to get gelato. No one working speaks English, and I would have had no idea about the ordering system if she hadn't told me. There were more gelato flavors than I have ever seen, and the cones were stacked on the counter all the way up to the ceiling. Apparently, you are not allowed to sit down in the fancy room...maybe you have to order a whole meal to do that... so we sat outside at a table. Not only was this the best gelato, but it was also the nicest bar, or caffe, I have been to.