Violet C.
Yelp
It was a hot day in Roma, & we were in the mood for gelato. We saw a lady standing by this church near Trevi, enjoying gelato from a forest green cup while chatting with her friend. I knew Il Gelato was near, so my friend Googled its exact location. We didn't immediately find it, but when we finally did, we were excited. This was in my list of must-try places in Roma. I'd read many reviews from different sites. This was allegedly the gelato Liz Gilbert & Julia Roberts enjoyed in Eat, Pray, Love. There was a short line, & plenty of people outside enjoying their Il Gelato.
The ingredients were fresh, & I liked how they had flavors I'd never seen/had before. I can't remember all of them, but there was Concord Grape, apple, pear, Valrhona chocolate (which is allegedly 'among the best', I remember reading somewhere during my 'baking' phase), & a bunch of rarer ones, like basil.
Tip: wait till you get closer to the cashier before you place your order, or say mi scusi, to see all the available flavors for that day. This way, you get to see all your options - I had my regrets, with my first order, because I felt pressured to place my order before I got around to seeing all the flavors. Also, I don't think all the available flavors for that day were indicated on the print-out by the entrance, so I can't say that print-out would be very accurate.
I think I ordered caramel meringue & rum (around €6). We went here twice during our stay in Rome, to sample as many flavors as we could. Can't remember what I got the second time, but I remember enjoying my combo order in the green coppetta both times. I also sampled my friend's vanilla, thought it was fab.
As we walked around, I remember seeing people eating gelato from cups that didn't look like they came from Il Gelato. I remember thinking, "Haven't you ppl heard of Il Gelato di San Crispino!!!?!? OMG!!" It's OK to say OMG in your head. I came () this close to spreading the word about Il Gelato. If they had flyers, I would've earned the most enthusiastic flyer distributor award.
While I can say that the gelato was great, I'm not sure (with everything I've read about it) it met my expectations. I guess I was looking for something mind-blowing. It might be that the reputation of the place has become greater than what they have to offer. Like when the stars of Will & Grace became bigger than the show. Something like that.
But if you want fresh gelato in flavors you might not have had before, gelato that doesn't taste like it came from a mix, this is still most probably the best place to go for gelato in Roma. My gurl friends & I are planning another trip to Roma next year, & if/when we find ourselves in the area again, I'm definitely telling them that we 'need' to drop by Il Gelato :]