I thought it could not be done. I could not even imagine what it would be like. Did I have the courage to make it through the entire quest? This was one of the most difficult decisions I have made during my time in Italy. I consulted my classmates and asked them if they were willing to join me. Many refused immediately and looked at me as if I were crazy. Some even tried to dissuade me, telling me that it was an insane idea and I would regret it later. I ultimately decided to be impulsive and I accepted the Great Gelato Challenge.
From the first day that I arrived in Italy, I have been a gelato enthusiast. I had my first taste when I ordered a cone of nocciola gelato from a minuscule gelateria in the Campo de’ Fiori. The creamy, cool taste of hazelnut was unlike anything I had ever tasted. This ice cream actually tasted like the flavor it advertised! When I saw a toddler walking past me with a cone of gelato that was almost as big as her head, I knew gelato would be a significant part of my Italian experience. Weeks later, I would joke with friends about going to gelaterias and ordering every flavor they offered or buying gelato by the kilo to eat in one sitting. Despite all of my grandiose plans, I always knew that I would not and probably could not ever eat that much gelato. On the night of the Great Gelato Challenge, I tested all of my gelato-eating limits.
The idea for the Great Gelato Challenge originated from a debate over which gelateria should be deemed best gelateria in Florence. There were the staunch supporters of Grom, who claimed that the sophisticated flavors at this hangout, favored by the locals, distinguished this gelateria. Others insisted that Perche No?, with its neon lights and friendly servers, was by far the superior gelateria because it offered a lively atmosphere along with reasonably priced gelato. On our second trip, Vivoli attracted a new following with its refreshingly realistic fruit flavors. After listening to the increasingly heated debate, four of us decided that we would try gelato from each of the gelaterias to decide, once and for all, which gelateria is the best in Florence.
Kelsea, Joel, Gabrielle and I (the Great Gelato Eaters?) started at Vivoli, where we were joined by the rest of the group. We decided then that we should probably play it safe and only order small servings, at least to start. Excited by my mission, I ordered a small serving of pistachio and dolce di latte gelato. This was clearly my first mistake of the night. The strong nutty flavor of the green pistachio and the sharp sweetness of the dolce di latte clashed when swirled together, but this did not deter me from continuing my quest. The gelato, perhaps because it had been sitting out all day, was more like semi-freddo and felt like slush in my mouth. I was not a fan. I quickly finished my cup of gelato (I was going to eat six flavors of gelato, there was no room for cones) and we headed off in the direction of Perche No?
We turned onto via Tavolini and easily spotted the familiar gelateria because it was the only building on the small street that glowed with neon lights. We slipped in as three tourists left and quickly surveyed their selection of flavors. I was disappointed to see that they no longer had one of my favorite flavors, green tea, so I settled for cinnamon and albicocca, which was an unusual combination that I had not tried before. The cinnamon tasted sweet and warm while the albicocca had a fresh, slightly tart taste. This became one of my favorite combinations, but my momentary happiness was interrupted by groans from Gabrielle when she realized that her misunderstanding with the server resulted in what is now known as the Great Gelato Mistake. She thought that panna montata was a type of gelato, while it was actually just regular panna. This resulted in her having a cup full of cinnamon gelato with whipped cream on top, which was too much spice by itself. I looked at my watch and realized that it was getting late, so we decided to eat the gelato on the way to our last stop, Grom.
Unfortunately, we reached Grom in less time than I anticipated. In fact, I still had not eaten most of our gelato from Perche No? I experienced my first pangs of gelato guilt as I realized that I had become a chain gelato eater: I would be discarding the cup from one gelateria while ordering gelato at another gelateria. Gabrielle and I darted behind the cover of a nearby building, too embarrassed to stand in front of Grom as we ate our gelato. I inhaled the small serving of gelato, with help from Joel and Kelsea, and we walked into Grom. I became disoriented as I walked in from the dark night into the brightly lit gelateria. At this stage in the Challenge, Joel and Kelsea dropped out, citing feelings of “fullness” as their downfall. It was up to Gabrielle and me to finish the quest. We decided that fruit flavors would probably be the lightest and the easiest to stomach at this point. I ordered the classic combination of limone and lampone. I sat down on one of the wooden benches inside the crowded gelateria and halfheartedly began to eat the gelato. The sour limone and the tart, crisp lampone matched well together, but I could not enjoy the flavor as I was suffering from gelato fatigue. This is the last one, I told myself with each bite. We ate in silence, not wanting to admit that we did not want to see another cup of our beloved gelato for at least a few days.
As we walked back to our hotel, I experienced a strange feeling of pride mixed with nausea. I did something impulsive and crazy! How many people can say that they went on a gelato marathon in Florence? I crawled into bed that night feeling sick, but smiling because, by finishing the Challenge, I could officially call myself a Great Gelato Champion!
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