Gelateria Fata Morgana, Rome
Sunday, 21st September 2008 | 28 Comments
This morning I woke up early with every intention of taking a long, intense run. At 5:37 PM I was still nowhere close to leaving the house. Then Petulia and Rob called with a tempting proposition: to meet for a gelato break at Gelateria Fata Morgana, a small and unpretentious gelateria on the Via Ostiense, a short distance from Piramide. I laced up my running shoes and hightailed it over there.
Fata Morgana is known for its unique combinations of flavors and dedication to making gelato from scratch using exclusively fresh, seasonal ingredients. We stood for a while in front of the display case, paralyzed by the nearly 50 choices before us, including almond-cardamon, basil-honey-walnut, pear and gorgonzola, poppy seed, white chocolate and pine nuts, and wasabi (dark chocolate and horseradish). Between us we tried 9 different flavors, and still we wanted more.
Gelateria Fata Morgana
Via Ostiense 36E (Metro Piramide)
Other locations:
Via Lago di Lesina 9 (Quartiere Africano)
Via G. Bettolo 7 (Metro Ottaviano)
September 22nd, 2008 at 10:00 am
Ouch, I thought it was clear: Fata Morgana should remain a secret! J/K
I love their website as it also has some yummy and simple recipes
September 22nd, 2008 at 10:04 am
Yes I know, but I am systematically revealing every place in Rome beloved to insiders:) Do you remember what was in the Panacea flavor? Mint, ginger, and what else. Its all i can think about!
September 22nd, 2008 at 10:08 am
Ginseng, I think. Now, shhhhhhh!
September 22nd, 2008 at 10:51 am
We need to go back there before or after dinner at Isola dei Sardi Due. I need to know what is in the cure-all!
September 23rd, 2008 at 1:05 am
Oooh everyone keeps talking about this place…I want in on the next trip!
September 23rd, 2008 at 9:56 am
It’s a deal. Thursday night Sardi 2 and then Morgana. I will need 2 weeks of diet to make up for this!
September 23rd, 2008 at 12:36 pm
Cant wait. Im going to try the pesto gelato on Thursday though that may conflict with the pear and gorgonzola flavor i have been dreaming about.
September 24th, 2008 at 9:19 pm
Yea!….I will fast all day tomorrow in anticipation
September 24th, 2008 at 9:33 pm
I’m going to try to do the same, but tomorrow is gnocchi day at La Piazzetta! Today I had the most incredible gelato in Naples at Fantasia Gelati in Pzza Vanvitelli. It is based on the torroncino di benevento-almond brittle and chocolate. im going to propose it as a new flavor to Fata Morgana!
April 7th, 2009 at 11:10 pm
[...] more great gelato in Rome, check out Gelatone in Monti, Cremeria Monforte next to the Pantheon, Gelateria Fatamorgana (3 locations), Ciuri Ciuri (3 locations), Gelarmony, and Old Bridge (don’t mind the bizarre [...]
April 27th, 2009 at 7:36 pm
[...] Now, I don’t usually agree with everything Times has to say about food in Italy, especially recently. I’m talking specifically about the recent article about Roman trattorias. Stale bread? Pigneto Quarantuno? Huh?! But I digress. This weekend in their Globspotters Blog, the Times ran a short piece claiming the gelato Bar Pica near Largo Argentina is Rome’s best. Not quite. It is undoubtedly noteworthy, but in this city, the crown should not be given away so easily. Yes, Pica’s manna flavor (mentioned in the post) is very good and when paired with pistachio, it makes a fine ode to Sicily. The riso con canella and caramel verge on the remarkable. But there is something about the slightly grainy texture of these and other offerings that makes me long for the creaminess of the gelato at Ciampini, or even Giolitti! Pica’s gelato shares its consistency with Il Gelato di San Crispino, which I don’t love. And no matter how whimisical its flavors, Pica will never surpass the greatness and creativity that is Fatamorgana. [...]
October 6th, 2009 at 11:00 pm
this is really good ice cream in Rome, although San Crispino remains the best by far…
) and the guy almost ignored my request until I had to shout it…
I must say that the personnel is a but rude. I’ve asked for the receipt (that they are supposed to give spontaneously
Not nice to be treated like this. But you know this is Italy you have to be prepared to see these type of behaviours…
October 7th, 2009 at 12:00 am
San Crispino is rubbish. ok maybe im exaggerating a bit. It isnt awful but theyve fallen pretty far from years past and im not a fan of the texture.
January 25th, 2010 at 9:31 pm
Katie, yesterday my father called me and said that the one thing he wanted more than anything else in the world (he is in lahore!) was the orange-dark chocolate gelato from Mondi! and i thought oh my, how could i have forgotten this fantastic place, i had been going on and on about how much i love the gelateria in Pza re di roma and overlooked how much i loved this gem of a place- i didnt get to go too often bec it was far and required a car (and any kind friend with a car)- but if it happened to be in the centre of rome it would be, by far, my favourite place. i thought i’d share this with you.
January 26th, 2010 at 7:18 pm
I havent been there in YEARS. When is it warm enough in Rome to eat gelato?
January 27th, 2010 at 4:48 pm
apparently, with the ‘monsoons’- not yet!
June 18th, 2010 at 8:37 pm
[...] no matter how whimisical its flavors, Pica will never surpass the greatness and creativity that is Fata Morgana. I know other gelato-loving locals would agree. Food in Rome is right there with me on Fata Morgana [...]
June 18th, 2010 at 8:41 pm
[...] in Rome. I did a lot of research (if you call a weekend long gelato binge research), tried out some old favorites, and found a new one. You can read the whole article here and view the slideshow [...]
June 18th, 2010 at 8:42 pm
[...] for this piece on my favorite gelato in Rome for BudgetTravel.com, my obsession with Gelateria Fata Morgana (unfortunately for my cardiac health) intensified. I had a pretty silly number of combos and many [...]
July 9th, 2010 at 4:03 pm
[...] taught his craft to some of the city’s leading artisans including Maria Agnese Spagnuolo of Gelateria Fatamorgana. He makes high quality product in his lab in San Paolo, which supplies his shops on Viale Aventino [...]
August 25th, 2010 at 3:41 pm
[...] Gelateria Fata Morgana, a place that is near and dear to my heart (that is, has clogged my arteries) has closed its doors on Via Ostiense. The sad news came to me via email from reader Chad Rivera. I stopped by ex-Fata Morgana yesterday to pay my respects and a new gelateria had cropped up in its place. The new joint is called Gelatiamo, which I will call Gelatiodio in an attempt to lighten my mood on this very sad day. Fortunately, the Via Lago di Lesina 9 (Quartiere Africano) and Via G. Bettolo 7 (Prati) locations are still going strong. [...]
October 30th, 2010 at 5:20 pm
[...] I went to Via Ostiense for a bit of “research” at Gelateria Fata Morgana. I was fully planning to eat gelato for lunch when in a flash of genius I decided to take a detour [...]
November 3rd, 2010 at 1:50 am
[...] bored you to death with the best places to find quality, all natural gelato here, here, and, here, but I’d like to thow Vice into the fold as [...]
November 4th, 2010 at 2:56 pm
Hi Katie – I have just found your blog (after almost a year in Rome, doh) and am following with great interest, especially the gelato recommendations. Is there a gelateria you could suggest in or near Testaccio? Spero di si!
November 4th, 2010 at 9:34 pm
the best and greatest place in the vicinity is called il gelato and it is located on viale di trastevere. it is one of claudio torce’s places and it is amazing.
November 13th, 2010 at 7:53 pm
[...] at Fatamorgana: Caramel and crème anglaise Black rice & rose Chocolate & hazelnut Kentucky (chocolate [...]
November 14th, 2010 at 2:01 am
[...] had mozzarella di bufala di Paestum or Rome’s best gelato, so we went to Casa Bleve and Fatamorgana to rectify the [...]
July 25th, 2011 at 12:33 pm
[...] Gelateria Fatamorgana: Creative, whimsical flavors abound at gelataia Maria Agnese Spagnuolo’s two locations. Flavors feature surprising combos like pear and gorgonzola, chocolate and tobacco, black rice and rose petals. Via di Lago Lesina 9/11; Via Bettolo 7; website. [...]