The Scoop on Gelato Prices

Well, that's a lot of gelato. I would budget about 5 euros each. You'll find some for less but 5 euros is a good place to start. Make sure to look for the prices when you enter the store. If you don't see them-ask or leave. Those will be the places that try to charge you 12 euros for a small cone. Donna

Espresso is around a euro, give or take. I even paid 1.10 euros for a cappuccino in some places. It was 2 euros in Vernazza and that was the most expensive cappuccino I had anywhere in Central Italy last year, even in a Lino's (a fairly big chain). The cost of a gelato will depend widely on how big you get. Every gelateria has at least 3, and as many as 5-6, different size options. I usually get the smallest or the 2nd smallest and it's rarely over 2 to 2.50 euros, even in the big cities, and sometimes a little less even. Obviously the bigger cups where you can get 4-5 different flavors at once are much more, but I can't imagine eating just one of those a day, let alone 2-4. I love me some gelato, but I've never had more than 2 in a day LOL. I would think if you figure 1-2 euros for coffee and 2-3 euros for gelato on average, you should be able to at least plan a budget. You might go above or below it sometimes but I think that should be a decent average in most places.

2 Euros or so a scoop.

With all that gelato, you'll have no room for pizza.

Kinda depends on where you are. where I live 1.80 gets you a small cone, 2 scoops, in the best gelato shop in town. Rome it was around 4.00 for for a very small cup of so so gelato. But Donna is right,check those prices before you order. We got one of those 12.00 cones near the Spanish Steps.

We got two 12 Euro tubs in Florence. Oh God, way too much. But it was still too fun even if some of it got wasted. You can spend 24 euros in many ways. I entirely endorse this as one of the better ways to spend money. We got one of everything... and more drunk off it, and giddier than a 24 euro bottle of wine with the sugar rush.

What a fun bunch you are! Knowing that unposted prices is a warning sign is helpful. I really just want to taste a variety of flavors, and small will be fine for that - especially, as it appears that a small cone can include a couple flavors. I remember reading that the wife of Guido Brunetti, Donna Leon's character in the Venice mystery series, brought home fresh fig gelato. How cool is that?

Tried the fig gelato in Rome. Very good!

I loved the rum raisin; I can't remember the translation (i'm thinking something like "malaga"???

We spent anywhere from 1.5 to 4 euros per small gelato. For us one a day was the norm with an occasional 2 per day each of us.

I just found a receipt from our trip in June, for gelatin in Verona. One scoop, 1,50 euro; 3 scoops 3,50 euro. The interesting thing is that the receipt is for five servings (coppa) but there were only four of us.

i agree. while i would never turn down gelato, and plan to eat more than my fair share when there next, i confess that high butterfat ice cream is where it's at. i do think this world is big enough for both, though. also lets not forget that other kid, frozen custard.

Ohhh happy day! Never before on the Helpline has anyone dared to question the hallowed status of gelato. Everything else has been challenged. And while we're bringing gelato down to earth, let's not forget America's number one "ice cream" treat: hydrogenated pork fat, vanilla or chocolate flavored, sold as "soft serve" at the fast food place of your choice.

Oh, bummer Lola. So, we need to watch out for accurate charges and posted prices, look for: Produzione Propria (homemade - our own production) Nostra Produzione (our production) or Produzione Artigianale (production by craftsmen) - and then just narrow down the flavor selections. Every day a new decision - get a previously sampled flavor that was fabulous, or try a new possibility... Can't wait for next spring when it all happens.

Okay, question here: If gelato is so good, why don't more places in the US serve it?

Kent, gelato is so good! We have a few places near us that offer it and I make my own for the fixes when we really just NEED some!

I don't trust local gelato, since here in central Maine there just isn't enough call for it to seem "fresh" - however, we have a few good coffee shop type places that offer it, so it is only fair that I try it sometime.

There are some places in Florence where a small is still 1.50, but most are at 2.00 (this is for the smallest cup or cone but you still get 2 flavors). There is a new place on Vai dei Benci that has a small cone for 1! Please whatever you do, make sure you get gelato at a gelateria and not at a bar where it is coming from some factory! And I think having a couple a day while on vacation is fine - as long as they are small :)

I just left Italy a few days ago, and had my fair share of gelato during my 3 weeks there. Only one a day. :-) I usually got the smallest size in a cup, and most places would give you 3 flavors in that size. I actually got some odd looks when I would say I only wanted 2 flavors! And yes, look for the posted price. If they don't post it, you probably don't want to pay it. A small cup or cone seemed to run between 1.50 and 2.50 euros. I don't drink coffee, but I think my husband usually paid about 1 euro for espresso. We are in Germany now, and the coffee/espresso is so much more expensive!

"If gelato is so good, why don't more places in the US serve it? " i suspect it's not that it's "so good" but that people use the excuse that they are on vacation in italy to eat what is basically another form of ice cream alot more frequently than they would at home. who doesn't love ice cream, and even more so, a wide variety? me, i don't need an excuse to eat ice cream basically every day at home. :)

Ahhh, Matthew, yes! My theory is similar to yours, and I've been wrong many times before, but here it is (ahem): North American travelers are often blind-sided by the humidity and heat in Italy, and they're desperate for anything cold, and so they take what they can get. But when they get back home, they switch back to good ol' American rich ice cream, and fail to demand of American capitalists, who will supply anything demanded by the market, the Italian gelato.

i certainly wouldn't want to "pig out" on that.

We must be an exception, we prefer gelato to ice cream. We hardly ever buy ice cream, but gelato is another story! My blackberry, blueberry, raspberry, mango, pistachio and hazelnut home made concoctions usually turn out pretty good, I haven't been brave enough to try to make a coffee flavor yet... One of our local bakeries usually has gelato 6 months of the year, yummm... Just another excuse to visit them.

Help me out... I thought gelato and ice cream were pretty much the same thing. Gelato being Italy's version of ice cream. Is there a difference when it comes to ingredients?

Ice cream has a higher butter fat content than gelato so it tastes richer and covers up the flavor since it feels thick in your mouth.

Luis: Thank you for the info, I knew there was a reason our ice cream tastes better than that thin, watered-down gelato stuff, and you explained it: butterfat. Melanie: re your "I thought gelato and ice cream were pretty much the same thing." No way, for the reasons Luis explains above. The problem with gelato is that it tastes way too healthy. But when it's July and you're in Rome, and you realize that yep, it's going to stay this hot, and you're desperate, and if you can't get real ice cream, well, you settle for whatever you can get. :)

In Rome years ago I loved what I would call a lemon ice. It was similar to what you'd get at theme park in the US [INVALID] sort of frozen lemonade, and not very rich. I guess that was gelato, I always assumed it was something else. Anyway.. it was super refreshing in the zillion degree hell heat of August.

"zillion degree hell heat of August" - Yep, sounds like Rome in August, or so I hear, never been there then and hope not to.

<<"zillion degree hell heat of August" - Yep, sounds like Rome in August>> Yikes, I said Rome but meant Venice. And it was miserable hot. I wouldn't go back that time of year but am excited to try it again in the fall. I think your gelato theory is correct. The heat sort of sapped my appetite - except for sweet icy treats!

Is the heat in Europe that much more intense than, say, Texas or Southern CA summers? I hear so much about the abysmal sweltering weather of July and August in Italy and France. It sounds severe enough to send one slouching off in search of gasp SHERBET or ITALIAN ICE instead of ice cream or gelato. Oy.

Kathy, re your last post: Yep. This thread has been discussing the combination of high temps and sweltering/humid weather that can be encountered in July/August in Rome and other areas of Italy that are 1) not on the coast and 2) not in the mountains. Southern Calif summers are different from Rome in July or August, generally lower dewpoints and humidity in So. California. It's the combination of heat and humidity (dewpoints is one way of measuring this), some people call it the comfort index or discomfort index. We've even had people from the southeastern US say they were blindsided by the combination of heat and humidity in mid-summer Italy. I'm not addressing France or Texas weather, although limited experience with Texas heat is that it's in areas like Houston and other areas of eastern or southeastern Texas where you typically get the combination of humidity AND heat. For people who have a choice (don't have school age kids, not a school teacher), July and August are not the best times to go to the sweltering parts of Italy. Much of Europe is far enough north in latitude and/or located close enough to large bodies of water to have comfortable summers, these are better July/August destinations for people who have a choice.

I love the idea of budgeting for gelato. I picture the "envelope" budget, where you have an envelope of money for gelato, one for espresso, one for pizza, etc. "Sorry, dear, the gelato envelope is empty-we'll have to have pizza now."

gelato is typically made with milk rather than cream. because it has less fat, they don't introduce as much air into the mix (this is called over-run). so you get something similar to ice cream but with less fat. ice cream is typically made with (surprise) cream. it has much more fat in it than milk, so in order to reduce the heaviness and richness of the mix, air is added to it to enhance the lightness and mouthfeel. the amount of overrun varies widely from brand to brand with cheaper brands having as much as 50% over run (50% air). brands like Ben & Jerry's typically have much lower overrun, closer to 25%. you can see this for yourself at the store. pick up a pint of the good stuff and a pint of the cheap stuff, and feel how much heavier the good stuff is. you get what you pay for. when i make home made ice cream, the mix increases in volume by about half, so i get something with about 33% overrun (33% air). bottom line, gelato is tasty, but because it has less fat, you don't get the richness you do with ice cream. but like i said earlier, i won't turn down either one.

as for the heat in Rome, i haven't been yet, but i do live in houston, the home of heat and humidity 9 months out of the year. i would wager that the temps in rome at it's hottest are similar to here in the summer. the reasons i would agree that it might feel hotter in rome is from two things: 1. much less air conditioning in europe, so less chance to duck in somewhere for a quick respite from the heat. 2. you are doing alot more walking around outside in the sun for much longer than you probably would at home, so you feel more tired and more hot because you don't normally exert yourself thusly.

Love Gelato - certainly prices are all across the board. Pricing is usually by the scoop and should always be posted. This link gives some more info on Gelato and a few places to get it in Rome ***** http://tinyurl.com/rome-gelato ******

My husband and I just returned from Italy last week and we had our share of gelato! Anybody ever tried "Gran Soleil" by Ferrero, the company that makes Nutella? We bought some of these at the COOP store in San Gim. to bring home. They are not refrigerated when you buy them and then you put them in the freezer and they turn into a frozen dessert treat like gelato! Haven't tried them yet but just put one in the freezer tonight. They come in 5 flavors[INVALID]we brought home lemon, chocolate and caffe cappuccino. I know they aren't going to be like the real stuff but heard they were quite good. You get 2 small containers in a pack for 1.50 Euro

Melanie: if it tasted like frozen lemonade it sounds like it was either sorbet or a granita, which is in fact basically water, sugar and the chopped fruit frozen. Love watermelon granita in the summer, but the coffee granita is the traditional flavor the my husband loves - a frozen espresso during the summer :)

I lived in Rome this June and it felt like Houston without the air conditioning. I grew up in Houston and thought I was pretty heat/humidity tolerant, but Rome can get quite miserable with the heat. But thank God a cool front came through or I would've lived at the gelato shop. You're safe budgeting 2-2,50 for a small cone with two scoops. Have fun! Don't worry too much about looking for the signs about where/how it's made, just use your judgement based on color and texture of the gelato. You'll know the good stuff when you see it.

I just figure on about 10 Eu "walking around money" per day. My favorite gelato: frutti di bosco (fruit of the forest), which is sort of like raspberry. I like vaniglia (vanilla) a lot, too. And dark (ciocholotto) chocolate. And anything with nuts. When it's hot the lemon stuff is good.....Amorino has the best gelato in France; there is even a branch on rue Cler.......In Italy, cappiccino runs about 1-2 Eu/cup....You do the math, 2 people times 2 gelatos and 2 coffees per day times the number of days.

I agree, it totally could have been sorbet. I think the good taste distracted me from doing much more than pointing and drooling at the flavor.

Thank heavens for drooling and pointing - where would we be without it?? I have to say, having originally posted this question, I've since found a friend (mom of my adult son's friend - does it get any better?) who frequently travels to Italy. She introduced me to Gelato Fiasco in Brunswick Maine (home of Bowdoin College) and this is the first I've seen the truly artful displays of gelato. Comfortable leather chairs, stacks of games (Scrabble!), and flavors that kept coming out as they were made "out back." The mom knocked back a lovely espresso, it was a beautiful fall day in Maine, and we have Italy in common. I feel lucky to be part of the funweb of life.