Giolitti

Giuseppe and Bernardina Giolitti left Piedmont with their cows, following the French army that was heading to Rome to aid Pope Pius IX. For these soldiers, they were the forerunners of catering. They arrived in the city, and then spent several years working for the Roman princes. In 1890, as severance, the princes gave them a commercial license to open their first dairy store on Salita del Grillo.

They sold milk that they produced themselves, in the pastures of the Roman countryside, and thanks to the superior quality of their product, they became the suppliers for the Royal Palace. 

Within a few years, they opened several new stores, and in 1930 their son, Nazzareno, grandfather of the current owners, inaugurated the one in Via degli Uffici del Vicario. As well as dairy products, he and his wife, Giuseppina, also offered a vegetarian restaurant and, later, an ice-cream parlor, which made them famous throughout the world.

After having tasted Giolitti’s delicious ice creams, Gregory Peck insisted that they used them for the legendary Spanish Steps scene in the film “Roman Holiday”. Giolitti also became famous in Hollywood, attracting world-famous customers like Dustin Hoffman, Sly Stallone, Antonio Banderas, Cameron Diaz, and even President Obama’s daughters, who he took “behind the scenes” to see how the ice cream was made. 

Nazzareno’s son, Silvano, personally created the recipes which the Giolitti ice-cream parlor still uses today, guaranteeing their unmistakable trademark of genuine and natural flavors. 

The Giolitti ice-cream parlor is a historic meeting point in Rome. Just a stone's throw from Parliament, it’s a temptation for MPs and tourists alike, not to mention the Romans themselves, who have always loved its ice cream.

Today it’s run by Silvano's children, Maria Margherita, Nazzareno, and Giovanna. In 1960, they also opened another branch in EUR district, and later, as franchises, in Seoul, Tokyo, and Kuwait City, always with the utmost respect for the original ingredients and recipes. After all, Giolitti's strength is precisely that of never betraying a gourmand’s palate.