cioccolato all’arancia (cho-koh-LAH-toh ahl-ah-RAHN-cha) – This is chocolate orange, and is a personal favorite. It’s most often a dark chocolate, not a milk chocolate, and may have either just an orange flavor or may also include candied bits of orange peel.
cioccolato con peperoncini (cho-koh-LAH-toh kohn pep-pehr-ohn-CHEE-nee) – Another trendy chocolate addition, besides orange, is pepper – and this is often how you’ll see it on the flavor placards. It’s basically a hot pepper infused chocolate (usually dark chocolate), and can vary in terms of heat. A friend also reports having seencioccolato all’azteca (cho-koh-LAH-toh ahl-az-TEH-kah), which had both cinnamon and hot pepper.
pistacchio (pee-STAHK-yoh) – I’m not going to define this one, because if you read English you’ll know what it is. The important thing here it to learn that the “ch” in the middle of this word has a “k” sound (not an “sh” sound). Also good to know – it’s a very popular flavor.
castagna (kahs-TAHN-yah) – This is chestnut, and isn’t nearly as common as some of the other nut flavors. It could be a seasonal specialty, I’m not sure.
Here’s a flavor tip – if your first flavor choice is something particularly strong or difficult to match with something else, getting a cream flavor for a second scoop is a good option because it generally won’t fight with the first flavor, but will add a muted backdrop.
fior di latte (FYOR dee LAH-tay) – Perhaps the base flavor for all cream (or even chocolate) flavors, this is literally “flower of milk” and it’s a wonderfully subtle sweet cream flavor. Some people I know think it’s boring, but I adore it.
amarena (ah-mah-RAY-nah) – Though it has fruit in it, it’s a cream base, so I’m sticking it in this category. This is another personal favorite – it’s basically fior di latte with a sauce of sour cherries kind of mixed in. The cherries have been stewed in something, and I have no idea what it is, but they’re chewy and delicious, and you’re likely to get at least one whole cherry (without the pit, of course) in your scoop.
stracciatella (strah-cha-TEL-lah) – If you think of this kind of like the Italian gelato equivalent of chocolate chip ice cream, you’re in the ballpark. It’s a fior di latte base with chocolate bits in it. The chocolate has usually been drizzled over the top of the just-made gelato and then mixed in after it’s hardened, so rather than uniform chocolate bits you end up with pieces that look like needles. This is a very common flavor.
liquirizia (lee-kwee-REE-tzee-ah) – You may have been able to guess this one (it’s licorice), but the pronunciation can be a bit tricky if you’re caught unawares. Personally, I’m a fan of black licorice, so I like this gelato flavor – but it’s one of those flavors that’s nigh to impossible to pair with something else, save for one of the unobtrusive cream flavors listed above.