1. The Gelato Experience
Travel Writing, Florence University of the Arts
I remember the sun shining in a way that nearly kicked me out of my apartment,
insisting I go do something. In the other room, a far away voice of my roommate called,
“Hey Cai, want to go get gelato or something?” We walked slowly and I could hear an
accordion humming gently, taking me to some romantic canal that I have never been
before. Stopping in front of the mock-David is when it hit me- how beautiful this city is.
The square was bustling with tour groups and the faint collapsing sounds of camera
shutters. After a mental debate with myself, chocolate was the winning flavor. I would
have paid for the representation of the gelato alone- it was, in itself, a work of art. I
snapped a picture and dove into my first taste of Italy’s finest delicacy, and it was
delicious. The differences between gelato and regular ice cream are incredible. The only
way I can think to describe it would be that gelato is, physically speaking, dense. To the
eye, it almost resembles Play Dough. And yet the second it hits your tongue, it melts
down to a thinness nearly like water. Also, it’s able to rebound. I could push the gelato to
one side of the cone and as if it were a Tempurpedic mattress, it molds right back into
position. Losing myself in trying to figure the science of this I had forgotten to savor each
and every lick and before I knew it, it was gone. Luckily, I’m living only 15 feet from
another gelato shop.