The Gusto Antico ice cream shop is among the 490 best ice cream shops in Italy, out of the over 50 thousand present in the Bel Paese. For the second consecutive year, Gambero Rosso awarded the Castellana shop founded in 2011 and which in less than fifteen years has become one of the best ice cream shops in Italy, now permanently included in the famous guide. “Being elected among the excellent is difficult, but being confirmed is much more difficult”, William Romagnoli, 52 years old and with a boundless passion for a profession that takes him, many will be surprised, around the world, does not hide his pride. Italy than inside the shop. A tour, that of William, always in search of excellence, “because what makes ice cream good are, before anything else, the raw materials”. And this is why William spends most of his time looking for the best raw material, without necessarily relying on the now inflated kilometer zero. “I am resistant to clichés – explains William –. Let’s think about pistachio: we always talk about Bronte, without knowing that there are exceptional Iranian or Californian crops”. In short, excellence must be sought first and tasted then, and the right ‘leads’ can also come from other sectors. “I love the world of street food, in so-called street food you can find formidable ideas”, explains Romagnoli.
In short, among the secrets of Gusto Antico that have bewitched Gambero Rosso, there can only be, and above all, the dynamism of a constantly evolving ice cream shop because, as William explains to the point of boredom, “my obsession is the search for perfection. And “I have been working on hazelnuts for 10 years, I know that we have constantly improved it but I also know that it can still be improved. For me, the world of ice cream making is like that of Formula 1, if you don’t improve every year by a few tenths per lap it means that you didn’t do your job well.” For William, having entered Gambero Rosso’s prestigious guide of the best Italian ice cream shops again this year “is a pride to share with the community. I am convinced that the success of any activity of a municipality gives prestige and benefit first and foremost to the municipality itself, and I am proud of this.” A success that William clearly wants to share with the team because “when you win, you win together”.
Claudio Bolognesi
