Rome Week, Part 3

Welcome to part three of our our kid-friendly travel guide to Rome. Throughout the week, Bon Appetit Features Editor Hugh Garvey will share tips from his family trip.

Back in the States, my daughter is a cookie-dough ice cream kind of girl, so I was curious how she'd react to the vast array of non-Ben & Jerry's flavors offered at most Roman gelaterias. I needn't have worried. She was beyond satisfied by the stracciatella gelato at Fiordiluna: plain vanilla, streaked with dark-chocolate shavings. (Grown-ups: The highest designation for Italian gelato is "produzione artigianale propria di alta qualita." It's worth searching for.) Here's my list of go-to Roman gelaterias. What better way to reward--or bribe--tiny travelers than with a scoop of the sweet stuff?

Here are our picks for Rome gelato:

1. BAR ALBERTO PICA
   Not far from the Pantheon and the Circus Maximus, Pica dishes up a mean traditional cone, but it's best known for its rice-based gelatos, like the riso alla cannella, made with cinnamon. 12 via della Seggiola; 011-39-06-686-8405

2. FIORDILUNA
   This tiny, artisanal gelateria is all about sourcing: pistachios from Sicily, hazelnuts from the Langhe, vanilla from Madagascar. 96 via della Lungaretta; fiordiluna.com

3. GELATERIA FATAMORGANA
   No gelateria experi-ments quite like Fatamorgana, which goes so far as to mix tobacco with chocolate and name the flavor Kentucky. Don't worry: Kids will love the more traditional flavors. 9/11 via di Lago di Lesina; gelateriafatamorgana.it

4. GIOLITTI
   This spot is known for its towering preparations (one dish mimics the Olympic torch, another the World Cup). An outlet in the EUR neighborhood features a playground for channeling the inevitable glycemic boost. 40 Uffici del Vicario; giolitti.it

5. Il GELATO DI SAN CRISPINO
   Like the nearby Trevi Fountain, San Crispino is sharply designed and luxurious (in a Vegas-y kind of way), with a massive international following to show for it. The gelato, however, is only so-so. 42 via della Panetteria; ilgelatodisancrispino.it

The romance of Italy isn't playing tricks on your mouth; gelato is substantially different from American ice cream. Here's why:

1. Air Supply: Gelato is richer because less air is churned into it, which makes for a denser product.

2. Temperature: Served at a warmer temperature than ice cream, gelato melts immediately upon tasting, giving instant flavor.

3. Low(er) Fat: Although there's no hard-and-fast rule, on average gelato has about half the butterfat content of ice cream.

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Part 1: Little Caesars: A Family-Friendly (and Stress-Free!) Travel Guide to Rome
Part 2: Four BA-Approved, Kid-Friendly Pizza Spots in Rome

Photographs by Jeff Lipsky