Rome Specialty

One of the more Instagrammable gelato shops, Come il Latte's walls are lined with old-fashioned milk bottles, the floors are black-and-white tiled, and their flavors are handwritten on a chalkboard menu. They pride themselves on making super fresh gelato daily, and on their ingredient sourcing, which draws from around the world: vanilla from Madagascar, pistachio from Sicily (mixed with ricotta and white chocolate in one flavor and oranges in another), cinnamon from Ceylon (cinnamon cream is counted as a specialty, and there's also a pear sultanas variation), and so on. Don't feel like you have to be adventurous with your flavor choice, though; Come il Latte does the classics right.

Close to the Vatican yet not super touristy (unlike say, Campo dei Fiori), this longstanding large indoor food market is the real deal: You’ll find fresh seafood, meat, produce, pizza, and the best selection of specialty cheese, bread, and wine in the city—all at reasonable prices, too. It’s definitely a local’s market; aim to go in the morning to get the best selection. Photo: @divoraroma

Located not too far from the Trevi fountain, some would say the gelato here is among of the best ice cream in the world. Obsessively made from start to finish, the product here is too sacrosanct even for cones—don’t ask for one, they won’t have it—and flavors rotate seasonally. There’s another outpost, the original, located at the Basilica of San Giovanni.

This nondescript-looking gelato joint in Centro Storico is easy to miss—but don't. For fans of rice pudding, try Alberto Pica's gelato version of the treat. Photo: @signemeirane

Ciampino has roots dating back to 1941, which means they've had generations to perfect their gelato. The old-school café uses organic milk and eggs, and many of the flavors are loaded with fresh fruits. One of their specialities is candied chestnut—but regardless of your personal flavor preference, put it in a waffle cone with Ciampino's whipped cream.

Although it’s somewhat removed from Rome’s dense center, this Prati gelateria’s reputation for being one of the best in the city can draw lines (which are never unreasonable). Ultra-fresh ingredients are used to create next-level flavor combinations like green apple and mint, ricotta and pear, and eggnog, rum, and marsala. The classics (think: chocolate and espresso, pistachio) are great here, too.

Giolitti is Rome’s OG gelato shop: Founded more than a century ago, and still owned by the same family, and the café’s historic Centro Storico outpost is perched between the Pantheon and the Italian Parliament. Of course, the classics are excellent here—there are dozens of flavors, but you really can’t go wrong with a few scoops of chocolate or pistachio to go.

For some really great street food, stop here to pick up modernized Roman sandwiches called Trapazzini. Trapizzino is the namesake take-out place that invented them, and there are a growing number of satellite outposts sprinkled throughout the city. The chicken cacciatore is a must; there are a variety of meat and veggie-centric options.

Named for Beppe Giovale, one of the shop’s partners who comes from a long line of Piedmont cheesemakers, this spot is a wonderful place to shop for cheese and wine, plus a selection of other, complementary specialty items like truffle salt and organic honey. If you’d prefer, you can also sit an enjoy a wine and cheese tasting, which is a pretty incredible way to spend a leisurely afternoon.

A presence in Rome for more than a century, this bakery in Esquilino offers traditional, next-level Sicilian pastries (think breakfast pasrties like maritozzo, a kind of panna-topped bun, plus other indulgences that involve fresh berries and cream). It’s often crowded, but the wait is never too long—plus, an expansion a few years back means the once-tiny orginal space now has an adjacent bar area with a few tables and chairs.