Gelato. Bologna, Italy

September 2021

Having had the most extraordinary gelato in Florence, I didn’t think there was any point trying to compete in Bologna, but I’ve always found something alluring about ice cream shops and cafes, places that traditionally in the UK close late afternoon, that are open late in to the night.  Maybe it’s feeling a little bit naughty having ice cream at night-time, or maybe it’s that feeling of being able to sit outdoors with a warm breeze, a late night culture meaning there’s a buzzy atmosphere despite it being dark.  So, to avoid competing, I went for something totally different – vegan ice cream in Bolognina, Bologna’s edgy, multicultural northern suburb.

Often, whether home or away, I’ll pick the weirdest sounding thing on a menu just to try it.  Sometimes I regret it and think to myself “why don’t I just stick with the nice things sometimes!”, but when I saw wasabi ice cream, there was absolutely no way I wasn’t going to try it.  I like wasabi (except when I get a little overenthusiastic and it makes me cough) but I couldn’t see how it would work in ice cream, envisioning it being way too over powering and disgusting, or so subtle it would be almost pointless.  It was perfect.  The heat shining through but balanced and sweetened by the creaminess of the brown rice milk base.  Moreover, the ice creams are continually churned in their vertical freezer tubs to give the silkiest of textures.  Other flavours include spiced chocolate, and turmeric with cinnamon and pepper, as well as some more traditional flavours.  They also serve organic cows milk based ice cream, such as Crema Bolognese, vanilla egg custard ice cream, and sorbet.

Find Stefino Gelato Biologico on Via Luigi Serra.

I also came across several shops in Bologna city centre serving the tiniest cornettos, perfect for a guilt free ice cream, a mouthful of sweetness, or just for novelty value!