Another stop on the Tour del Gelato, this time going back to the Eternal City, Rome. Be sure to check the Tour del Gelato blogroll for other entries, including a recent one from Jeff in Puglia.
Everyone, plan your next trip to a gelateria near you for the Tour del Gelato, and write about it!
I lived in the Trastevere area in Rome when I first moved to Italy, so it is one of the neighborhoods that feels most like home to me. The one thing about Trastevere, the next best restaurant or hangout or gelato is just around some corner – you just have to make your way through the maze of streets to find it all.
Luckily for you, this next gelateria is one of the easiest spots in Trastevere to find, since it’s on a main street. Though I think many people overlook it since it doesn’t have the flashy neon signs like Blue Ice, another ice cream chain in Rome (anyone want to review this one?) and since they only recently opened, they don’t even have a big sign over the door.
Fior di Luna is not only a gelateria, but they also make chocolate and sell other handmade items like cakes.
They are Sicilian, and one of the most distinguishing things about them is their quality promise. Fior di Luna focuses on natural and high quality ingredients and selecting and knowing their suppliers. How well they “know” them is another story – did you see Corleone mentioned on the list of suppliers?
Because of their focus on freshness and natural ingredients, their ice cream may not seem as flashy as others mentioned above, and their batches are not mountains of gelato that spill over the containers and topped with a truckload of toppings. They are smaller batches, meaning fresher, and most importantly, it satisfies the biggest critics of all: your mouth and stomach.
They even refuse to use cones because they “can’t control the quality of the raw materials” as much as the cups.
Sometimes when we let our eyes choose our gelato, we end up with a brightly-colored snowball that tastes of nothing. Luckily for me, that was not the case and I had an excellent gelato with nutty flavors – pine nuts, pistachios and gianduia (hazelnut chocolate).
I definitely recommend stopping by – next time I plan to try some of their other homemade products.
Fior di Luna
www.fiordiluna.com
Via della Lungaretta, 96 – Rome – Tel: 06.64561314
Can you believe these people are practically my next-door neighbors and I haven’t ever stopped in? Shame on me! I’ve become conditioned to the places that I know and love and like many Italians, I am hesitant to try new places I haven’t heard about through word of mouth. I definitely need to stop by and check this place out, I never stopped to look closely at that sign — didn’t know they were so into artiginale!
Now you’re just rubbing it in! ;)
okay, this is going on the list as one of the places I must check out next month. I will be staying in Trastevere again. cannot wait.
Ok, sounds like all four of us need to meet to do some more “research” on this stop.
Do you have a worst of the world gelato tour? I know a place near me that is truly horrible.
I lived in Italy for a year, based in Rome, and posts like this just bring back the great memories, especially of trying to find the best gelateria. I didn’t come across this one, which means another place to hunt down next time I’m there!
Hi – I sent you an email awhile ago on my favorite gelateria in Siena.
-Indah
I am an Old Bridge gelateria girl. I used to live above it. I also like the gelateria on the viale Trastevere. I don’t remember the name.
Io conosco personalmente i proprietari e sono romani(basta sentirli parlare)..non sono siciliani come menzionato qui sopra.
Do you where I can get a tour (in Rome) or a lesson or how to make gelato and/or pasta?
Thanks
Joel