Gelissimo @ Freyberg, Wellington, New Zealand

Wellington on a good day is a fantastic place. And this was a very good day. Brilliant sunshine, a light refreshing breeze – quite a contrast from the storms during my last visit in the middle of winter. It was glorious strolling along the waterfront to Oriental Bay, but by the time I reached Freyberg Beach I was in need of some gelato refreshment from Gelissimo @ Freyberg.

Freyberg Beach was packed with locals exposing pale bodies to the summer sunshine and splashing around in the water. I didn’t think it was quite that warm, but clearly Wellingtonians are made of hardier stuff, keen to enjoy the sunny day.

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Gelato Bello, Glynde

Gelato Bello is a favourite haunt of Benny’s Adelaide relatives – avid Gelido followers. So on our recent visit to Adelaide they were super keen to take us to their local family-friendly gelateria.

It is an Adelaide institution, with the original owner first churning gelati way back in 1996. Since that time, Gelato Bello has gained a new owner and another outlet in Semaphore, but the Glynde headquarters is still serving gelati. Continue Reading

Il Piccolo Gelato, Ballarat

A trip to Ballarat has been long overdue – ever since Jonah first reported a brilliant local gelateria, Il Piccolo Gelato.  And now we have a great reason to motor up to Ballarat: to treat ourselves with some outstanding gelati.

Il Piccolo’s proprietor, Anthony, is from Sydney and loves the more relaxed lifestyle of Ballarat. With a restaurant background, he wanted to try something a bit different. And so Il Piccolo was born. Continue Reading

Poco Artisan Ice Cream, Port Fairy

Of course the world’s most liveable town needs to have its own artisan ice cream. Victoria’s Port Fairy was awarded that accolade in 2012 – heritage seaside location, lively arts scene, great restaurants and cafés. And the town’s Poco Artisan Ice Cream produces its signature frozen treats in-house from quality ingredients. Continue Reading

Cosi Duci, Ivanhoe

Established in 1965, Cosi Duci has been keeping the population of Ivanhoe happy for many years. Melbourne has a few quiet neighbourhood achievers like Cosi Duci that have been churning small-scale gelati for ages. They may not be big on social media, but that sort of longevity indicates that they know their market well. Continue Reading

Gelato Messina, The Star, Pyrmont, Sydney

It was a hot day in Sydney. After two gruelling days at a conference talk-fest, definitely time for a gelato treat. And my closest option – Gelato Messina at The Star.

The growing empire of Gelato Messina now has 11 stores in Sydney, three in Melbourne, two in Queensland and one in Canberra. Plus there is a dairy farm at Numurkah that produces all the milk used in Messina’s dairy-based gelati, a strawberry farm at Dural and a hazelnut farm at Seymour, which is expected to supply all of Messina’s hazelnut needs within five years. Continue Reading