When the going gets sticky and the temperature nudges 40°C you know it’s time to hit the ice-cream parlour, perhaps one of my favourite Italian inventions. To be able to go, sit and decadently gorge on something sweet without feeling guilty, just enjoying the sense of relief that a delicious chilled fruit or chocolate rush brings, is one of the best summer simple joys known to man, thank you Italia!

Like Italy and the world as a whole there aren’t too many ‘home-made’ gelateria/ parlours left anymore in Abruzzo, but we were introduced today to one today in the small town of San Vito just up the road from the Abbey of San Giovanni in Venere and at the top of the Trabocchi Coast, it’s called Copa d’Ora and it’s been busy churning since 1940, their ices were sublime. I think their pink grapefruit one is going to be my gelato of 2011, its refreshing tartness hit all the right spots, as well as its unusual creaminess… no sorbet end for this citrus fruit.

Sadly we can’t all sit in an ice-cream parlour all day, so for when the going gets hot here’ my ice-cream meditation is to sit and think chilled thoughts too.

Copa De Dora Gelateria | Via Nazionale Adriatica 10 |  San Vito Chietino |  Chieti 66038

Other Recommendations from our Facebook fans

Author: Sam Dunham

Sam is a very lucky midlife Mum to A who is 13 and juggles working as a freelance SEO copywriter with teaching IGCSEs at Istituto Cristo Re in Rome. She is the founder of the Life In Abruzzo Cultural Association, co-founder of Let's Blog Abruzzo and the 'English in the Woods' initiative.