The Best Gelato in Italia: Golosi di Natura

Well I haven't tried all the gelato in Italy to make this decision, but I've had my fair share. Honestly, if I could only eat gelato from one place again for the rest of my life, well I might need to move to a tiny town named Gazzo in the shadows of Padova. It's just that good.

Golosi di Natura is a small gelateria in the Veneto region of Italy, located in the town of Gazzo which is smack in between Vicenza and Padova. Not only do they have a rotating selection of gelato flavors, they have pastries as well. Part of the Slow Food movement, they only make gelato made from the best ingredients (vanilla from Tahiti or pistachios from Bronte), made from fruit only when its in season and of the highest quality.

The shop is run by Antonio Mezzalira, who after graduating from culinary school, and an internship at the famed three Michelin star, Le Calandre restaurant in Padova, opened his own gelateria. His claim to fame is his winning entry in his first participation in the World Cup of Gelato in 2008 (or Coppa del Mondo di Gelateria) for his prosecco gelato.

For those of you not familiar with prosecco, it's a sparkling wine made from grapes in the region near Treviso. Antonio's recipe uses only sugar, water, natural stablizers and prosecco (from Col Vetoraz). It undeniably has the flavor of prosecco and the ability of the creamy dessert to trick me into thinking I was drinking a glass of bubbly was uncanny.

We sampled far too many flavors to name them all, but we had the gamut from a decadent chocolate to a seasonal frutti di bosco (mixed berries) and a delicate rose gelato. In a world of man-made flavors and complicated combinations that oversaturate our palette, it's the purity of Antonio's gelato that makes it stand out in the crowd. When tasting pear gelato, we naively remarked "wow, this really tastes like pear." Antonio calmly replied "that's because it IS pear." He's doing exactly what a good gelato-maker should, distilling nature's flavors into a frosty treat. So, the next time you're in the Veneto, beg, borrow or steal yourself a car. Find your way to Gazzo and enjoy.

Until then: Follow Golosi di Natura on Facebook or read more about his prosecco gelato (in Italian.)