It’s summer, that lazy time of the year when a girl’s fancy turns to all things cold and delicious. Like, for instance, gelato. And there is no better place in Boston to get the full gelato experience than in our famed italian neighborhood, the North End.

At first, Gelateria seems to fit in with Hanover Street’s old-school vibe - there’s a small selection of gelato available from a street window and patrons sit outside on the stoops enjoying their treats. It looks like a typical North End street scene. But step inside and the place is a sleek candy-colored wonderland - light and refreshingly sweet. It’s all about fun, with a color changing wall, glass shelves, and mini flat screen TVs above the few tables inside. While the decor is modern, they make all the gelato in-house using traditional methods. They promise to make 50 flavors everyday but I was too distracted by the selection to bother to count. Instead, I ordered a scoop each of Zuppa Inglese and Bacci, while my husband ordered lemon.

The Bacci was disappointing - I expected more chocolate. But the Zuppa Inglese was perfect! Custardy with pink candied fruit pieces, very sweet and very much like the stuff you get in Italy. The lemon was also a nice surprise, it was sweet and refreshing where I expect it to be tart.

We decided against staying inside and instead took our gelato out for a walk. Strolling the historic streets, overhearing snippets of Italian, while enjoying a simple treat made for a perfect summer afternoon escape.

Gelateria
272 Hanover Street
Boston, MA 02113
617-720-4243