Spumoni is an Italian layered dessert consisting of ice cream, whipped cream, nuts, and candied fruits such as cherries. It's also often described as a layered and molded custard-based ice cream on the outside and a semifreddo or parfait inside.
Originally, spumoni was made as a combination of ice cream, nuts, and fruits surrounding a sponge cake, but today the term can denote any layered ice cream. The most popular flavors used in spumoni are cherry, pistachio, and vanilla (or chocolate), with red, green, and white colors representing the Italian flag.
The dessert is widely enjoyed in Italy, but it is also popular in Argentina and the United States of America due to a large number of immigrants who popularized spumoni in those countries.
MOST ICONIC Spumoni
Mulberry granita is a frozen Sicilian specialty that is prepared with puréed black mulberries, sugar, water, and lemon juice. The combination is then frozen and should be occasionally mixed with a fork to achieve its typical grainy texture.
Like other types of granita, this mulberry version is also sometimes topped with whipped cream, and typically comes served with Sicilian brioche (brioscia). It is a standard breakfast option, but it is also enjoyed as a refreshing dessert.
Strawberry gelato traditionally employs less dairy than the cream, chocolate, or nut based varieties. It should always be prepared with fresh strawberries that are usually puréed and then blended with water, lemon juice, and whipped cream.
When thoroughly frozen, gelato fragola is characterized by its firm, creamy consistency, light pink color, and a refreshing and intense strawberry flavor.
MOST ICONIC Gelato alla fragola
View moreAlthough granita—frozen Sicilian dessert similar to sorbetto—is enjoyed throughout Sicily, the city of Messina is often dubbed as its spiritual home, and apart from typical flavors such as lemon, strawberry, chocolate, peach, mulberry, and pistachio, the most common specialty associated with the city is the coffee-flavored granita.
In Messina, granita has a coarser structure, and the coffee-flavored combination is often called mezza con panna, which translates as half with cream. This name stems from the ancient practice of serving granita in larger glasses and those who would prefer smaller portions would often order only half (mezza).
MOST ICONIC Granita di caffè
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Tutti frutti ice cream is a popular flavor that often includes a mixture of various fruit flavors and pieces of candied or real fruit. The name tutti frutti is Italian for "all fruits" and appropriately describes the blend of fruit flavors that characterize this ice cream.
The flavor was first mentioned in England in 1860, and it soon found its way to the US, where it reached a relatively big popularity. The combination of fruits can vary, but it often includes flavors or pieces of fruits like cherry, pineapple, raisin, and orange, among others.
This gelato variety is characterized by a subtle coffee flavor which is achieved with the addition of strong coffee to the base of milk, cream, eggs, and sugar. Alternatively, the base can be infused with roasted coffee beans. Caffè gelato is a great substitute for a traditional coffee, especially in the warm summer months.
The classic version is occasionally enriched with chocolate chips, while the gelato may come in the robust espresso version or as the more subtle mocha or café au lait gelato. In Italy, all varieties are popular and are found in numerous gelaterias throughout the country.
MOST ICONIC Gelato di caffè
View moreGelato al melone is a refreshing Italian gelato flavor made with fresh melons (cantaloupes). It is usually made with milk, eggs, sugar, and cream. The melons are pureed before they are added to the base. Variations sometimes leave out eggs or include condensed milk or mascarpone cheese.
This light and refreshing gelato is available in many ice cream shops in Italy, and it is typically a seasonal summer flavor.
MOST ICONIC Gelato al melone
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Gelato all'amarena is a traditional gelato flavor that incorporates amarena cherry preserve. The base is neutral, usually made with vanilla-flavored ice cream or with fior di latte flavor made with milk, cream, and sugar. This neural base is then streaked with amarena syrup and cherries.
Amarena cherries are native to Emilia-Romagna. These dark, wild cherries are usually preserved in syrup and are then used as a topping or garnish.
The name of this partially frozen French dessert means perfect – so one can imagine that its creators intended the experience of eating it to be no less thrilling than its name implies. Parfait is a frozen dessert made from a base of egg yolks, sugar, and whipped cream, and it can be flavored with any number of additional ingredients such as fruit, nuts, or coffee.
Today, however, parfaits can be made with savory ingredients as well, and there are versions made with seafood, vegetables, and even foie gras. Parfaits were originally served on decorative plates, but today they are usually layered in tall and thin flute glasses.
MOST ICONIC Parfait
View moreTartufo is a dome-shaped, frozen Italian dessert that is prepared with various gelato flavors that are sculpted around different fillings. Although the original tartufo hails from Pizzo and combines dark chocolate filling, hazelnut ice cream, and cocoa powder, this classic nowadays comes in a number of modern versions that significantly differ from the original.
Any gelato flavor can be used in its preparation, and while the fillings may include fruits, cookies, or maraschino cherries, the coatings range from chocolate shells, ground or chopped nuts, cookie crumbs, or desiccated coconut.
VARIATIONS OF Tartufo
MOST ICONIC Tartufo
TasteAtlas food rankings are based on the ratings of the TasteAtlas audience, with a series of mechanisms that recognize real users and that ignore bot, nationalist or local patriotic ratings, and give additional value to the ratings of users that the system recognizes as knowledgeable. For the “12 Worst Rated European Frozen Desserts” list until February 16, 2025, 3,606 ratings were recorded, of which 3,017 were recognized by the system as legitimate. TasteAtlas Rankings should not be seen as the final global conclusion about food. Their purpose is to promote excellent local foods, instill pride in traditional dishes, and arouse curiosity about dishes you haven’t tried.