A Definitive Ranking of the Gelato I Had in Italy

We just got back from our anniversary trip, the one you guys helped us plan. I can't thank you enough for choosing Italy! It was perfect--our best trip in Europe this year! I'll do a bigger recap post next week, but in the meantime here's a little (literal?) taste of what we did: GELATO! After our first meal in Venice, we grabbed gelato and decided that we should taste all the flavors over the course of the trip. We ended up with a grand total of 14, and by the last day, I had fulfilled my gelato quota for the year. But every bite was oh-so-good. Here's how each one ranked in my book:

1. Mint Chocolate - First one in Italy, it's obviously going to be my favorite.

That's pure happiness right there.

 2. Tiramisu - One of my favorite Italian desserts made into gelato? Yes, please!

3. Coffee - Did I mention this year I finally started drinking coffee? And now, I'm getting desserts made out of it! Seriously, you wouldn't even recognize me anymore...

4. Pistachio - This one was a little grainier than the others, but I loved it! Reminded me of a grittier version of my favorite childhood pudding.

5. Triple Chocolate - Chocolate times three?!? Yum!


6. Caramel - Sometimes I think caramel is too sweet, but this was smooth and rich.

7. Amaretto - We took a cooking class in Florence one day and learned how to make gelato (it's so easy, ya'll! We didn't even have to use an ice cream maker--more on that in another post). It had to freeze, though, so we ate the gelato that the class before us made. It was great!

Homemade always tastes good no matter what.

 8. Chocolate - Simple, basic, but good.

9. Vanilla - Kind of boring, especially when you consider that there are so many other gorgeous flavors to choose from. But don't get me wrong, I still ate it!

10. Nutella - I love Nutella so I thought I was going to love this one, but it moved down on the list perhaps because I was so full from the massive quantity of spaghetti I had just eaten.

11. Coconut - With one bite, I felt like I was transported to a tiny tropical island sitting on the beach and eating sunscreen. Yes, eating sunscreen. This flavor just didn't feel right in Italy for some reason.

I *think* this was the coconut. I'm getting them all confused now.

12. Stracciatella - I didn't really know what this was when we ordered it, but apparently it's just milk-based gelato with chocolate chips. It was fine, but nothing to write home about.

13. Strawberry - I felt like I was back in middle school eating a fruit roll-up at lunch time. Refreshing, but I was starting to wish I could order Mint Chocolate again.

14. Crema - This is apparently the most popular flavor in Italian gelateries, so I was like, this is going to be good! It was pretty basic though, and at 5 euros, it was the most expensive one we had on the trip. Boo....

Christopher doesn't agree with my list, which obviously goes to show you that everyone has different tastes. So I have to clarify this is a definitive ranking of my favorites. What's yours?

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