Gelato Marco — Attraction in Trieste

This is definitely the best gelato I’ve ever had in my life. I’ve been here many times (first time before the pandemic in 2018, then several times during the pandemic in 2021, most recently summer of 2024), and despite having been to many other Italian cities and having tried many other gelato shops since my last visit, Gelato Marco still remains the best gelato place I’ve found in Italy. As I was sitting on the sidewalk stairs enjoying my cup of gelato (yoghurt flavor—if you like this flavor, Gelato Marco has the best yoghurt flavor in the world!), I heard some other people walking by saying this is the best ice cream they’ve ever had. They have many traditional flavors as well as creative new flavors, and their gelato has the perfect viscosity; it is perfectly milky and sticky, and not too sweet (unlike some of the chain gelato places you can find throughout Europe, and of course infinitely better than what you find in the US which is often times overly sweet). Gelato Marco strikes the perfect balance among milky-ness, creaminess, viscosity, sweetness and sourness (for the fruit flavors). I must have been here at least 50 times, and I don’t even live in Italy. Gelato Marco is one of the reasons why I keep returning to Trieste...

Gelato Marco is our number one favorite gelato place in Trieste. It is a short 5 minute walk from Piazza Unita. You do need to take a number to get served and that is a good idea before oodles of people pour in behind you. The wait staff is superb. They are professional, helpful, and speak many languages all while smiling and giving you samples. You can pay with cash or card. I had 12 different types of gelato out of the dozens of flavors available and I can tell you they were all delicious and yummy! The mango was my favorite along with Bacio! Unfortunately they are closed Monday and Tuesday so prepare for that in your itinerary but they are open all day otherwise! You think you have had great gelato, well think again, you haven’t had...

Very busy with a ticketing system. You can only taste two flavours. The mango flavour was very light. The pistachio soft serve flavour was even lighter. The creaminess of the ricotta pistachio was great, complemented with pistachio paste. It was almost a stressful dining experience because of the ticketing system and there wasn't enough seating outside for everyone to enjoy their ice cream. The servers seemed impatient and weren't overly friendly, probably because they have a backlog of customers to get through. There seemed to be only locals...