Tartufo di Pizzo

Named after the prized truffle, the ‘tartufo’ dessert is Pizzo’s famous dish, and the story of this decadent ice cream bombe dates back to the 1950’s.

A trip to Pizzo is not complete without a stop at (at least) one of the town’s 20+ gelaterias in the centre alone. Mention the town’s name to any Italian, and the first response you’ll get is ‘tartufo di Pizzo’. And we can see why. The traditional recipe – a layered ball of hazelnut and chocolate ice cream about the size of your fist, filled with a molten chocolate centre and rolled in a dusting of cocoa powder – can be found on every ice cream parlour’s menu, and thousands of them are shipped around Italy every year. With IGP-status, a tartufo has to be made in Pizzo to be given the name, protecting the traditional methods and ingredients.

Sampling the tartufo is a must on any itinerary when visiting a place known to Italians as ‘the city of ice cream’ – and you can always come back for more and try the alternative flavours – pistachio, fruity, or the coffee ‘tartufo bianco’ (white truffle). Enjoy one at any time of day; from morning till after midnight, you can spot people sat in a shady spot under the umbrellas of the piazza, enjoying a tartufo. But the story of the ice cream is just as intriguing.

Legend has it that the most famous ice cream in the world was invented in 1952. Many experts were crafting ice cream in the town before then, but it was this invention by a gelataio named Giuseppe De Maria (known as Don Pippo) that really put Pizzo on the map. The story goes that he was serving guests at a feast to celebrate the arrival of a wealthy prince, when he ran out of moulds to shape the desserts. He began to shape them instead with his hands, moulding the ice cream with his palms into a rough ball, filling the centre with a sauce and dusting in sugar and cocoa. As a Sicilian-born, Don Pippo was no stranger to the method, from years of practice moulding arancini balls. The original recipe still belongs to Don Pippo’s nephews, who now run neighbouring gelaterias Ercole and Dante in the town’s piazza, and arguably our favourite spots to try the famous dish. Traditional recipes contain no additives or modern stabilisers – there’s a real art to forming the perfect ball with a sealed liquid centre.