This is an excerpt from the (July/August 2004) issue:
When investment banker Michael McGarry’s wife received a year-long art history fellowship in Bologna and Rome, he wasn’t sure what he would do while she was working. A visit to Bologna’s La Sorbetteria convinced him that his calling was gelato. And so began a year of first-hand research that culminated in his book Gelato: Finding Italy’s Best Gelaterias
(Fancy Pants Press, $10.00)
McGarry reviews over 50 gelaterias in northern Italy as well as Rome and Naples. He plans a follow-up volume on southern Italy and
Sicily. Interspersed with reviews, McGarry explains the history of gelato and how it is to be eaten properly. He also includes a glossary of over 75 flavors, which is very helpful for any serious gelato lover/traveler. La Sorbetteria is still one of McGarry’s favorite gelaterias but he also has a special place in his heart for the legendary Roman gelateria, Gioliti. “Half of it is the experience. It is always packed and there is always a scene,” he says.
Gelato changed McGarry’s life. He has left investment banking and started his own publishing company. (McGarry has added to his line of ice cream books, recently publishing editions about America’s best ice cream shops.)