Learn Italian with Larry

American Ice Cream versus Italian Gelato explanation through Palermo’s Gelato Festival

June 4, 2025 By Larry Aiello

Want to know the difference between American ice cream versus Italian Gelato?

This video below will explain the differences while I walk through the gelato festival that is held in Palermo, Sicily every November.

In this video I am at the Sherbeth International Gelato (Ice Cream) festival.

In Italian it is called Il Festival Internazionale del Gelato Artiginale or an international artisan gelato festival.

This takes place on Via Maqueda, near the Teatro Massimo in Palermo. You can see in the video it is a festive environment with music and many people enjoying the day and having a good time. The Sherbeth Festival takes place over a few days in Palermo, usually on a Thursday through Monday.

So what is the difference between American ice cream versus Italian gelato? We all know they are both delicious.

American Ice Cream versus Italian Gelato differences

Ice cream and gelato are both made with sugar. With regard to eggs, gelato typically does not contain eggs whereas ice cream is made with eggs. Ice cream is made with heavier cream thus it contains more fat.

The texture is more fluffy and creamy for ice cream since it is churned faster. Thus there is more air churned into ice cream and it is quicker. The air churning in gelato is slower. Ice cream is best served cold whereas gelato is served at a warmer temperature. Ice cream is typically made in a more industrialized factory environment where they make many batches at one time.

The artisan gelato production process is done with smaller batches, it’s more of a handmade production process. Gelato tends to be healthier, on average, than ice cream in general. When you come to Italy, you should definitely savor some gelato. And if you are in Palermo in mid-November then check out the Sherbeth Artisan Gelato Festival.

Palermo Sherbeth International Gelato Festival

Every November in Palermo you can savor gelato from the various expert artisans from all over the world that converge in town to showcase their talents. You can buy groups of tickets for various prices and that will allow you to sample up to 30 different flavors and styles from the various artisans.

And after you savor some of that gelato you will say molto delizioso! This expression in Italian means very delicious!

Ballarò Famous Outdoor Street Market of Palermo

May 31, 2025 By Larry Aiello

In this video I am at the Mercato di Ballarò, famous outdoor street market of Palermo. It is a part of Palermo’s historical culture for over the past 1000 years. It started when the Arabs ruled Palermo.

There are vendors here from Sicily and Northern Africa selling clothing, fruits, vegetables, meats, souvenirs and there is even a butcher shop shown in the video. As well as vendors that sell street food and items for consumption.

You can smell the fresh fruits and vegetables and even oregano as you walk by. In the video you can see a vendor selling his fresh oregano.
The vendors will yell out, in Sicilian dialect, what they are selling for the day. It is a very chaotic and bustling market full of different colors, sights, aromas, music and sounds. And of course, you can hear the voices of the vendors that advertise their goods for sale in Sicilian dialect.

Ballarò is very centrally located in the heart of Palermo’s historical district. It is a great way to spend a morning or afternoon. You can have breakfast or dine outside for lunch with some traditional Sicilian cuisine.

Ballarò is about a 10-minute walk from the main cathedral.

The other historical market in Palermo is the Vucciria, which was like this back in the day, but now that area is more of a pub and nightspot.
And finally, the other market is Il Capo.

Italian vocabulary seen in this video:

Arancini – deep fried rice ball filled with meat but some have cheese and vegetables as well.
Fruits – frutta
Vegetables – vegetali
Butcher shop – macelleria
Meats – carne
Cheese – formaggio
Pomengranate – melograno
Fresh-squeezed pomengranate juice – spremuta di melograno
Octopus – polpo
Shoes – scrape
Buon giorno – a greeting for good day
Oregano – origano
Pane con milza – bread made with animal spleen
Pani c’a meusa – Sicilian dialect but it’s also animal spleen sandwich
Pane con carne di cavallo – horse meat sandwich

Pasta related vocabulary

Pasta al nero di seppia – pasta made with cuttlefish ink (black)
Pasta alla norma – pasta with eggplant, tomato and cheese
Pasta al forno – baked pasta
Pasta sarde e finocchietti – pasta with sardines and fennel
Pasta cozze e vongole – pasta with mussels and clams
Pasta alla Grassa – pasta cooked with generous amount of fat
Pasta aglio, oglio e peperoncino – pasta with garlic, oil and chili flakes

Hope you enjoyed the video about Ballarò famous outdoor street market of Palermo.