Gelato in its modern form is credited to the Italian chef Francesco Procopio dei Coltelli who in the late 1600s opened his “Café Procope” in Paris and introduced gelato at his café, earning notability first in Paris and then in the rest of Europe.

Nowadays, gelato is known worldwide and Italy is the only country where the market share of artisanal gelato versus mass-produced gelato is over 55%, with more than 5,000 modern Italian ice cream parlours employing over 15,000 people.

The taste and feel of cool gelato, whether cupped or coned, whether strolling the lanes or relaxing in the piazzas of Venice, Turin, Rome, Naples or Palermo, is one of those undeniable pleasures of life that goes hand in hand with the beautiful sceneries of all of Italy. From Piedmontese gianduia to pistachio from Bronte, from north to south, gelato is often a representation of the area of Italy in which it is produced.

The origins of gelato hark back to the mists of time when people (on at least two continents) stored the stuff of milk, fruit and honey in blocks or piles of ice. Today, however, just think the word gelato, and most likely, only Italy comes to mind.  As with the words pizza and pasta, gelato transcends any linguistic barriers, becoming a universally-recognised term specifying a specific type of ice cream.