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WHEN Plentyonyourplate graduated from Uni, there was only one place he wanted to travel all the way around, and he achieved that dream. With backpack in hand, he toured 'shoe country' with a friend. Yes, Italia. Italy has some hidden gems. We toured all over. From the great, and not so great parts of Milan, Venice, Verona, San Remo, Pisa, and Rome, to the deep parts of Sicily in the whirling heat. Yes, we even stopped off in Bologna, the home of the famous Bolognese sauce. When's your Dolmio day? Nothing compares to that sauce POYP's friend and I tasted on that occasion. Just what did they put in it? POYP is still trying to work out the recipe. If anyone knows the secret, then do email us (we promise we won't reveal it).

If you haven't been to Italy, where have you been hiding? Although it's famous for its authentic pasta's, great pizzas, and great culture (the Opera though was a little bit hard to latch on to when POYP was a kid, ) there is one underestimated product that is often left off the Radar.

Roaming foodie Natasha Al-Atassi explains all....

Ok, I know what you’re thinking. It’s freezing outside and the snow is only just beginning to thaw, so why is she talking about icecream? Well, the magic of Italy’s Il Gelato (icecream) is that it really doesn’t matter what time of the year it is, or what the weather is like outside, no one can resist the smooth delicate tastes of del Gelato.

[caption id="attachment_146" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="\"A Refreshing Bit of Italy.\" Tutu Bene.....Natasha Al-Atassi"][/caption]

Now Italy is renowned for many brilliant food exports (where would we be without pasta, pizza, panini, prosciutto and its effortlessly delicious pomodoro sauces?) But aside from its infamous ‘p’ delicacies, a lesser known of Italy’s fine food has to be its gelato. Most people who visit Italy do so in the summer and, in spite of the burning heat and tempering effect of dehydration, they will discover its brilliance.

And now I guess you’re wondering too, what is this brilliance you speak of? Well, to use the idiom, ‘seeing is believing;’ in this case, ‘tasting is believing’. Holding a giant cone with its over-spilling creamy contents is a test of resistance, and just as the cream starts to trickle down the wafer it’s almost impossible to act demure as you desperately try to lick it all up.

"HOLDING A GIANT CONE WITH ITS OVER-SPILLING CREAMY CONTENTS IS A TEST OF RESISTANCE," NATASHA AL-ATASSI.

My belief in its superlative taste isn’t just a fantasy. There really is fact behind my faultless taste test. Il Gelato is actually a different product to conventional ice cream – made with less fat and more sugar than your average ice cream, the ingredients enable the cream to avoid freezing, hence its deliciously soft texture in any weather. (Also another reason to have bowls of the stuff and still convince yourself you can look like a Versace model).

Another brilliant thing about il gelato has to also be the hundreds of flavours available. Just walking into any number of the galetaria near Rome’s Fontana di Trevi, you will be welcomed by an entire room filled with colourful bowls. Divided into appropriate sections such as cioccolato (chocolate), caffè (coffee), frutta (fruit) and sorbetto (sorbet), shiny silver troughs are filled to the brim with the colourful cream, whipped into soft peaks.

Even if it is freezing outside, imagine the long hot summer days ahead (I’d advise booking tickets abroad immediately; a long hot English summer is an oxymoron), sitting on a veranda, the sun beating against olive trees and orange groves. And in your hand is the treat you’ve been waiting for: the crunch of the cone and a lady-like lick (inasmuch as this is possible) of your favourite flavour. There’s nothing more delightful than your first gelato, and then, slowly, the drip drip drip as it playfully slips over your fingers. Heaven.

Doesn't it just make you want to jet off for some Sun, right now?

You can read Natasha's other foodie on the move posts, HERE, and HERE.

http://www.plentyonyourplate.com for more citizen food journalism tales.