Hello everybody! Today we are going to have a great guest post! Enjoy!
Most ice cream aficionados would agree that Italian gelato is the most delicious form of ice cream found anywhere in the world. The creamy texture, rich taste and often inventive flavour pairings keep locals and tourists alike on the lookout for the magical words “produzione propria” (homemade) blazoned above the doorways of the nation’s many gelaterie.
While vegans are usually not left completely empty-handed, their options are often limited to the sorbet-style fruit flavours and maybe a scoop of dark chocolate. As the cones often contain dairy or eggs, vegans may well have to content themselves with eating their gelato with a spoon from a paper cup. I don’t know about you, but for me half the fun of eating ice cream is pushing it down into the cone with my tongue to make sure that every last bite is a mix of both ice cream and cone. Gelato without the cone is just not the same experience. Well, vegan visitors to the Eternal City no longer have to worry about that, because April 25th 2015 saw the grand opening of Olive Dolci – a 100% vegan gelateria in the centre of Rome!
Olive Dolci is definitely not your typical Roman gelateria. The name, which means “sweet olives” in Italian, alludes to the fact that the gelato here is made with extra virgin olive oil. Yes, you read that right. Olive oil. Talk about an authentic Italian touch! Perhaps in an attempt to one-up Baskin-Robbins, every day Olive Dolci offers 32 different flavours, which change regularly depending on the season. If you time your visit to arrive in early summer, you’ll be able to sample gelato made from fresh, juicy strawberries or raspberries straight from the fields. At the height of summer, you’re sure to find peach or melon varieties. Arrive a bit later, say mid-September, and you’re likely to find fig-flavoured gelato instead!
The owners also place a strong emphasis on sourcing their ingredients locally whenever possible. They’ve even made gelato with the very first lychees and mangoes ever harvested in…Sicily! But of course, there are plenty of non-fruit options as well. Chocolate lovers can try out flavours like baci or nonnalella (a vegan version of Nutella that is also available for sale), while those with more adventurous palates might wish to sample black sesame gelato, or even beer gelato. While you never know exactly which flavours will be offered on any given day, it’s a sure thing that they won’t contain dairy, eggs, gluten or refined sugar. Made with only the highest-quality ingredients, Olive Dolci’s gelato gets rave reviews from vegans and non-vegans alike.
The flagship store is located in the San Giovanni neighbourhood in Rome, within walking distance of the Colosseum and the Roman Forum and very close to the Manzoni metro station. But if you find yourself on the other side of the Tiber River, don’t worry! A second location is scheduled to open on the 1st of October 2015. The new store will be on Piazza Cavour, near Castel Sant’Angelo and the Vatican. This means that no matter which side of the city centre you’re on, a cone (yes, a cone!) of sweet, creamy, vegan gelato is never far away!
Olive Dolci
Email: olivedolcisrl@gmail.com
Opening hours: Daily 11 am – 1 am
San Giovanni location:
Address: Via Emanuele Filiberto 140, Rome, Italy
Phone: +39 (0)6 700 5894
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/olivedolci
Piazza Cavour location:
Address: Via Vittoria Colonna 20, Rome, Italy
Phone: +39 (0)6 347 528 1258
Facebook: www.facebook.com/olivedolcipiazzacavour
About the author: Wendy Werneth is an intrepid traveller, vegan foodie and polyglot. Having become vegan after many years of travel across 7 continents and nearly 100 countries, she’s now on a mission to show you how fun and fulfilling vegan travel can be. You can follow her adventures at The Nomadic Vegan and download her free mini ebook, “8 Steps for Fun and Easy Vegan Travel”. You can also follow her on Twitter and Facebook.
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