YES, this is the season of rains in India, but strange as it may sound, this is also the season for Gelato! The traditional fruit and chocolate-based Italian desert is here in a big way, every ice-cream parlour worth its vanilla is introducing it, but gripping Bombay�s fantasy is Amici�s Gelato Artigianale run by a delightfully charming and funny Italian by the name of Marco Mattia. He is from Assisi in Italy, which is where Gelato originated from, and he says India is lucky to get Amici�s Gelato Artigianale � because the company had set its sights on China, Brazil and Russia as well. They visited India first and decided to stay on.

�Gelato is made from the purest of ingredients and is entirely natural,� explains Macro. �Every spoonful is rich, smooth, creamy and still low-fat, healthy and 100 per cent vegetarian. Unlike regular ice-cream, Gelato has no air in it, a single lick and you will know the difference and what you have been missing! Gelato�s bewitching, intense, bursting flavours are like nothing India has tasted before. And Indians are curious about new products, they immediately picked up Gelato, and they not only know the difference between Gelato and ice-cream, but also between Gelato and Gelato!�

Most kinds of Gelato are fruit and water based. Which means less calories and guilt-free bliss. They are also chilled but not too cold, smooth but not too heavy, and every lick is like pure silk � giving you the feeling of health in every melting bite. Amici�s means friend in Italian and this is the traditional and historical Gelato from native Assisi (Italy) brought to Bombay by the Italian company RNP Gelato Pvt. Ltd. It has the majority stake in the venture in association with Impresario Entertainment & Hospitality Pvt. Ltd. (parent company of Salt Water Grill, Mocha-Coffees & Conversations, Donut Co and Finale � Happy Endings), and Sanjay Ghai and Sahir Patel of Farallon Hospitality Pvt. Ltd.

Amici�s Artisinal Gelato is made entirely by hand and crafted from age-old, traditional Italian recipes. It churns out authentic Gelato Artigianale (artisinal) daily in small batches at their Gelato laboratory at Worli with specialised equipment and skilled Gelato artisans so you get fresh Gelato every time you walk into an Amici�s gelateria. They are carefully formulated using all-natural ingredients thus making sure there is consistency, a perfect balance in flavour and its smooth creamy texture is retained. Each batch is taste-tested individually to ensure the highest quality possible. They always look for the freshest, best ingredients, and strive to support local farms and suppliers, especially for dairy and fruits, whenever possible. When they can�t find an ingredient they need locally, they scour the world for the best possible suppliers. There are no pre-mixed concentrates in use here, but only hand-picked fruits and the best imported ingredients. �That�s why the Gelato has a dreamy silken texture. Ingredients are the first step, the second is the authentic Italian machinery, so the Gelato is the way it should be � the traditional Italian way,� says Marco!

Amici�s, incidentally, is available in 100 parlours in Italy. In Bombay, it offers over 50 varieties of traditional Italian gelato ranging from the classic chocolate to natural fruit like apple, banana, papaya, blackberry, litchi, lemon, kiwi, peach and apricot. Apart from Gelato they also have Gelato Caldo (meaning warm ice-cream) and sugar free and low fat Gelato. And a gourmet range of champagne, wine, lemon grass, bubblegum, daiquiri, mojito, malaga, pancotta and tiramisu.

According to Riyaaz Amlani, CEO & MD, Impresario Entertainment & Hospitality Pvt. Ltd., �There is something magical about the authentic traditional Gelato. The flavours are intense and smooth and creamy. Amici�s transports you to the land of Bottecelli and Da Vinci. And nobody makes it more traditional than the people of Assisi.� Gelato was considered to be a rich man�s dessert and not many people could afford it. Snow was collected during the winter months and stored in basements of up to 30 meters deep. It is said that the Sicilians have been making these iced treats for centuries, using harvested snow from Mount Aetna!