Italian gelato differs from regular ice cream in a few key ways: less cream, more milk, less air, and a slower churn. Those choices produce a denser, silkier texture with flavors that hit noticeably harder than what you get from a standard ice cream scoop.

And one important tip when you’re in Italy: look for “gelateria” rather than assuming every place selling something frozen is serving authentic gelato.

When in Italy…eat the gelato! 😉