Volcano Gelato in Rye, Mornington Peninsula has a deep connection to the Ritrovo Remigio’ – a café established in 1960 on the breathtakingly beautiful island of Vulcano located off the coast of Sicily, Italy.

It was here at Ritrovo Remigio that the secret base recipe of gelato served in Vulcano Gelato was inspired and cultivated. In 2008, Vulcano Gelato opened in Rye with the single hearted aim of improving the quality and taste of the universally loved authentic Italian gelato and granita. From our perspective, gelato is the perfect buffer. There’s such an emotional response when you even think of it and when you combine it with the Rye Pier, bay beach & carnival it becomes a powerful combination.

Some facts about ice-cream v gelato. If you go to Italy and ask if you should have gelato or ice cream, they may look at you funny. But here in Australia, gelato and ice cream mean different things. Both have similar base ingredients: water, fat (in the form of milk or cream) and sugar, which are mixed together and churned (moved around vigorously). Gelato has more milk than cream compared to ice cream and, in turn, has less fat. Making gelato involves churning the mix at a much slower speed than making ice cream. Churning the mix rapidly introduces air into the mix, making the mix fluffier. As result, gelato is much milkier and denser with less air while ice cream is creamier and can consist of between 25% and 90% air. The higher density gives gelato a more intense flavour. The higher density and lower fat composition mean that gelato is typically served at a higher temperature than ice cream.

Another tip to keep in mind: If you want authentic gelato, don’t buy it from a shop that uses ice cream scoops. Instead, gelato should be scooped with a spade or paddle. The flat surface is better equipped to gently scoop up your flavour of choice.

We love gelato, we love Vulcano Gelato, we love Rye and we love that they’re all on the Mornington Peninsula.