La Sorbetteria Castiglione — Restaurant in Bologna

Lovely range of flavours with a beautiful, creamy texture and generous portions which we thought were great value. Between us, we had Zuppa Inglese, Dolce Emma and Dolce Karin. It was definitely amongst the top ice cream we've had. I would have loved to have tried more, but maybe next time :) I feel like there is something for everyone, even if you're vegan, a coeliac or diabetic. And they spoke good English, which was helpful for the other English couple in front of us who didn't even try to speak any Italian*

The service was very friendly, although I found the process could have been made clearer with better signs. I have Dyspraxia and mental health problems, so can get a little overwhelmed if a process isn't clearly signed in an easy, non-cluttered way. e.g. "1. Choose your size and pay here", "2. Now, choose up to 3 flavours". If I can see signs like that in food places before I have to step up to the counter, it really helps.

And one thing out of the control of La Sorbetteria Castiglione was when we were enjoying our ice creams outside, a passerby who stopped to chat to someone ended standing right by our table with a strong cigarette. It kind of ruined the flavours and set off my asthma. So signage maybe reminding people that not everyone likes or can be near smoke would be good. I'm all about the signs!

*Seriously, folks, you really think it's OK to visit another country and not even TRY to say things like, "Yes", "No", "Please" or "Thank you" in the native tongue? We actually were near the same couple the next day, whilst in a restaurant and they were exactly the same. Perfectly civil, but not a jot of Italian. I'm coming off as such a nice person...

Great authentic gelato with real fresh cream. The pistachio is average for this range of Gelateria! Coffee was good also. The young guy who worked there was very friendly, but that elder woman with grey hair and makeup was literally scolding him for putting too much ice cream for us, and then when he challenged her and measured it, it was literally 10grams extra!!!! LIKE SERIOUSLY?!? what a bad reputation for your business is to hire a woman scolding publicly a nice friendly staff guy for putting 10 grams extra gelato to a new customer!!! 🤦🏻🤌

“And your reply definitely proves that you are so egoistic and bragging with your overrated reviews, yet cannot accept even a 3 stars review that is actually giving a compliment about your place but at the same time commenting about a rude employee!! Makes me wonder then what should be a Google Maps review about, other than admiring your place...

Una delle mie gelaterie preferite a bologna dal 2014 al 2019.

One of my favourite gelato shops in Bologna from 2014 to 2019

I've seen some people leave negative reviews in English - and a lot seems to be related to perceptions of the service. If you're not from Italy you should prepare yourself for the Italian style of ordering - first you line up at the cash register, order, take the "scontrino" (receipt or "ticket"), then go to the counter with the gelato and order. Don't let a lack of experience with (admittedly sometimes confusing) Italian service customs stop you from trying some of the best gelato and sorbet in Italy. I've travelled to 20-30 Italian cities (including Rome, Florence, Venice, Naples, Palermo and Milan plus many other smaller cities) and Sorbetteria Castiglione is right up there with the best, as far as my...