And on Sundays now, too! But don’t worry – even if it took Sicilian gelato savant Felice Curtò 37 years in the business before he finally ‘conceded’ to normal Western business hours, he won’t be overworking himself since he has the help of his son and other employees. Those who live in Milan’s Isola neighborhood are thrilled with the decision to remain open later – since the gelateria has some of the best traditional Sicilian gelati, granite (ices), cassate and cannoli in town. As well as brioche col pallino, warm brioche served with ice cream (preferably hazelnut), a real breakfast of champions. Walk into the gelateria and you’ll be immediately transported to Messina, circa 1990 – you’ll forget that you are in the heart of Northern Italy’s bustling industrial capital.
So what does a Sicilian gelateria in Milan have to do with Northern Italy? Everything! Many of the North’s industries were developed thanks to the ingenuity and hard work of those coming from elsewhere in Italy – whether from high alpine villages or southern coastlines a stone’s throw away from Africa. Milan, situated in the middle of the Po River plain at the foot of a number of important alpine passes, has always been a center for European trade – and so it should come as no surprise that it was and still is a melting pot.
Felice opened the first authentic Sicilian gelateria close to the Duomo of Milan in 1985, and for the last 12 years he has been in Isola with his ‘Gelateria Siciliana dell’Isola’. One of Milan’s original working class neighborhoods, Isola has become more gentrified in recent years, with its vicinity to city center. It is popular with the young and hip, as there are number of good restaurants here and even a Blue Note jazz club. Hopefully it won’t lose its appeal as a typical quartiere – but as long as there are places like the Gelateria Siciliana, this does not seem likely.
