Take a look at York's new Italian ice cream parlour

ROBERTO Culivicchi is deep in the basement finishing off his last batch of gelato for the day.

The smell of chocolate is heady and my eyes widen as I watch an avalanche of smooth, mousse-like gelato cascade into a stainless steel trough.

Before I can say “make mine a double with a scoop of pistachio”, Roberto pops it into the blast freezer – set at a cool -38ºC – for five minutes before bringing it upstairs to the shopfront and to eagerly awaiting customers.

As we chat, a woman interrupts to tell Roberto that her cone of chocolate and hazelnut was “delicious” and as good as anything from her favourite gelateria in London.

Roberto is beaming, pride in his product spelt all over his face. He is a man on a mission: his task to bring authentic Italian ice-cream to the people of York.

He has given up a lot to make his dream come true, ditching a career as a lawyer and temporarily leaving behind his wife and four daughters (aged from six to 17) at home in Tuscany while he has a go at opening his gelateria in Goodramgate.

Why York?

“I have relatives in Leeds and they said York was a beautiful city with lots of people. So I came here and found that York was a very nice city,” says Roberto in excellent English.

“It’s very busy with university students, residents and tourists – lots of elements for our business.”

Was he not tempted to open a business back home in Prato, near Florence? He shakes his head: “There is an ice-cream shop every 50 metres.”

In comparison, the market in York is much less competitive. Roberto doesn’t seem worried by the presence of a couple of other parlours in town.

“The English like ice-cream and I hope to offer to them a high-level of ice-cream. I am feeling confident because every person who comes here says the ice-cream is really good.”

Roberto studied at several ice-cream schools in Italy to learn the tricks of the trade.

The secret to great gelato, he says, lies in quality ingredients. Just milk, cream, sugar and natural flavourings go into his ice-cream, while his sorbet contains at least 30 per cent fresh fruit.

Product is made fresh daily and the staple flavours include vanilla, white chocolate, pistachio and chocolate.

On our visit, rum and raisin and yoghurt with black cherries and lemon and strawberry sorbets were also on sale.

A choice of homemade semifreddo lollies and desserts were also on the menu of the cafe, which sells Italian coffees and a small selection of cakes.

Roberto took part in the city’s chocolate festival over Easter, selling four chocolate ices from a stall in Parliament Street.

The flavours were white chocolate, dark chocolate, raspberry fruit sorbet with a smooth chocolate topping and the delicious-sounding gianduia – a chocolate and hazelnut ice-cream with whole hazelnuts covered in dark chocolate scattered within.

With treats like these, looks like Roberto will be right at home in this chocolate city.

* Roberto Authentic Italian Gelato, 3A Goodramgate, York.

Ice-cream treats at Roberto Authentic Italian Gelato