Two gelato shops go mano a mano in vying for the sweet-tooth crowd in Urbino.
URBINO, Italy–There are many shops in the city that make and sell gelato. But there are only two gelaterias in the Piazza Della Repubblica, the Romana Gelateria and Via Veneto Gelateria. Of the two, only one has the largest space and the most flavors on display every day, the Romana Gelateria, on the corner of Via Raffaello and Via Mazzini.
Every morning, Giovanna Porcu, an employee of Romana Gelateria, produces gelato, a favorite treat among Urbino tourists and university students.
Romana Gelateria is co-owned by Roberta Paoluci and her father, Walter Paoluci. Via Veneto Gelateria, on Via Raffaello, is owned by Federica Malini. The two are about 50 meters from each other.
Roberta, 32, is a graduate of Urbino University, where she majored in foreign languages and literature. She studied English, and it helps her to communicate with her foreign customers.
Roberta has an idea about what makes her gelatoria worth visiting.
“Our shop is special because we have a lot of flavors and we are much bigger than [the other gelato business in Urbino],” Roberta said.
After just three years in business, and the most flavors on display daily at 33, the Romana Gelateria has become the largest franchise-operated gelato shop in Urbino.
“On average we serve about 500 or more gelatos every day,” she said.
The Paolucis’ shop is a franchise of Romana Gelateria, based in San Marino. The Urbino Romana Gelateria is the only franchise in the chain that offers “puffo” flavored gelato. Puffo is a cake batter, candy-flavored gelato. Roberta said that they use only natural ingredients.
Their nearest competitor, Via Veneto, offers about 24 flavors a day. Malini said, “We can only display 24 of our flavors, but we change the different types daily.”
Malini and her husband personally make the gelato daily.
“It takes five to six hours to make the gelato using the machine,” Malini said.
The Romana Gelateria has some competition when it comes to prices and flavors. The Veneto Gelateria’s prices are 10 cents cheaper than the Romana Gelateria’s.
A small cup or cone with two flavors at Veneto is 1.70 euro, while it is 1.80 euro at the Romana Gelateria. The Veneto has over 50 different flavors of gelato, while the Romana only has 35.
Michele Vino, 24, an Urbino University student, said, “Even though the other shop [Veneto] is cheaper, the gelato here [Romana] is better so, it balances out to me,” she said.
There are other Romana Gelateria franchises all over Italy, and also in Dubai, Madrid, Tenerife, San Marino, and Bucharest.
Roberta said that she wanted to operate a shop in Urbino because it is a college town.
“I also wanted to open here because of the university students, and the tourists,” she said.
The Paolucis have been selling gelato in Urbino since opening their first shop in 2007 in the Hotel Raffaello.
“We did not like the location in the hotel, so we moved our shop here,” she said.
Nayma Doffo, 21, student at Urbino University studying art history, said, “I think Romana has better gelato than Via Veneto, but it’s not worth the prices. Because it’s not the best I have ever had, but the best one here in the piazza.”
Gelato is not the only thing they serve at the gelateria. They also sell frappes which are like milkshakes, focaccia which is a sweet bread, snow cones, frozen yogurt, and crepes.
Roberta hopes to keep their business booming, and continue to be serving Urbino.
Multimedia