tartufo di Pizzo

In 1952, Giuseppe De Maria (known as Don Pippo) owner of Pizzo’s Bar Dante, was in a quandry: how to make enough gelato for a wedding when he ran out of round moulds?

So he tried making them in his hand (in spite of the cold!) cupping a mix of vanilla and hazelnut gelato together and filling the centre with melted chocolate, then rolling the ball in cocoa.

They were an instant hit, and today Don Pippo’s recipe for the ‘genuine’ tartufo di Pizzo is shared by the family who run the Gelateria Dante and the Bar Gelateria Ercole.

The tartufi di Pizzo also come in other flavours, with fruit and nuts, and are designated IGP.