VICE … A New Gelateria in Rome’s City Center

There are several new artisanal gelateria shops that have recently popped up around Rome’s city center.  With the summer blazing record breaking heat temperatures, I’ve been inclined to make it my mission to visit all of them in an attempt to keep cool.  Poor me, right? 🙂 One of the shops I recently visited is Vice.  There are several locations around Rome, but the newest one is located in Largo Argentina.  The shop is directly in front of a bus stop where popular buses #40 and #64 stop, and is right next to the #8 tram that runs across the river to Trastevere.

When I first arrived, I was a little taken aback by the decor.  Vice is not designed like other typical gelaterie.  It has a futuristic feel, and made me think of the inside of an igloo.  The fun design is very bright, and everything is white.  The only pops of color are the mouth watering and eye pleasing gelati.  There is a puffy, cotton-like design along the ceiling made to look like snow, and the shiny, textured walls look like ice crystals.  From the appearance, I expected a burst of chilled air to kiss me in the face when I walked inside.        

Although the design is fun, the gelato is the real star of the show.  Vice uses all natural ingredients without adding hydrogenated fats, coloring or preservatives.  In addition to leaving out “the bad stuff” and using organic milk and fresh eggs, Vice also uses some of the finest ingredients around, using lemons from Amalfi, pistachios from Brante, Sicily, and walnuts from Sorrento, just to name a few.

I had a sample of the lemon (limone), and it was quite good!  I was in the mood for something creamier though, and went with pistachio (it’s my go to flavor, and I usually judge a gelateria based on the taste of their pistachio) and cheesecake.  The pistachio was good (it passed the test), but the cheesecake was really delicious.  The unique flavor of the cheesecake won me over.

If you’re looking for a fun gelateria using fresh, natural ingredients, I definitely recommend making a visit to Vice.

• Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, 96 (Largo Argentina)
• Via Gregorio VII, 385 (not far from the Vatican)
• Viale G. Marconi, 207