PICTURES FROM ITALY (Est. 2001)
  • Private Tours
    • Private Tours of Rome
    • Private Tours of Florence
    • Private Tours of Venice
  • Contact
  • Rome
  • Vatican
  • Florence
  • Venice
  • Tuscany
  • Gallery
  • Year in Art
Walking Tours of Rome

Grattachecca: A Very Roman Tradition

22/5/2019

 
Walking Tours of Rome
Grattachecca, Sora Mirella, Rome
Sora Mirella

Now that summer has finally arrived, what better way to quench one's thirst than with a glass of grattachecca. 

Grattachecca is Roman to its core and consists of hand-shaved ice favoured with a sweet syrup. The word comes from grattare la checca: to grate a large block of ice (checca). Such blocks of ice were used in the past to keep food fresh and cool. 

Grattachecca, which has been a favourite with Romans for more than a century, is sold from kiosks, which are dotted about the city. The oldest is Alla Fonte d'Oro, which dates back to 1913, while Sora Mirella is only two years younger. 

The locals are very keen to stress that grattachecca should not be confused with granita, which is made by simply freezing a mixture of water and syrup.

Grattachecca, Alla Fonte d' Oro, Rome

Comments are closed.
    My name is David Lown and I am an art historian from Cambridge, England.

    Since 2001 I have been living in Italy, where I run
    ​ walking tours of Florence, Rome &
    Venice.

    Search Pictures From Italy:

    Blog Posts

    November 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019


Follow Pictures From Italy on Facebook

Private Tours of Rome, Florence & Venice

Copyright © David Lown 2001-2019. All Rights Reserved. 
  • Private Tours
    • Private Tours of Rome
    • Private Tours of Florence
    • Private Tours of Venice
  • Contact
  • Rome
  • Vatican
  • Florence
  • Venice
  • Tuscany
  • Gallery
  • Year in Art