Otaleg (Monteverde)
Marco Radicioni pasteurises six litres at a time, for every flavor on the counter.
Why go
Radicioni started in Colli Portuensi, added Trastevere, and in June 2023 opened this one on Viale dei Quattro Venti, in Monteverde Nuovo. His reasoning, to Gambero Rosso: two labs did not work for somebody who wants to control every stage until the gelato hits the counter, so the machines came here. He pasteurises six litres at a time, for every flavor.
Francesca Cogliandro runs the pastry bench, working the same seasonal fruit as the gelato onto Marino monococco flour, and Gianni Olimpo came down from Milan to run the coffee on a Victoria Arduino Maverick. On the fior di latte, which changes with the pasture and the hay through the year, Radicioni told Gambero Rosso when I make the fior di latte I am happy
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Order this / avoid
- Order: the rosemary sorbet if the season has it, which is Sarah Cicolini's pick, then whatever was churned that morning.
- Avoid: arriving with a fixed flavor in mind, since the counter turns over with the season. The coffee bar shuts in the afternoon even though the gelato runs late into the night.
What locals & experts say
- The Infatuation (Annie Replogle):
Otaleg (which, yes, is gelato spelled backwards) was founded by an employee of one of Rome's first gourmet gelato-makers.
1 - Sarah Cicolini, chef-owner of Santo Palato (The Relisher, 2025):
my favorite Gelato shop... For me, it stands out for its truly unique and hyper, seasonal flavors. Think prickly pear, passion fruit with cocoa beans, or even gorgonzola with blond chocolate. They also offer an entire section of dairy-free sorbets.
6 - Gambero Rosso (Antonella De Santis, 2023): she introduces Radicioni as
one of the most important and most awarded gelato makers in Italy.
4
Good to know
- Timing: the counter opens for breakfast and runs late into the night. The coffee bar shuts in the afternoon.
- Booking: walk in.
- Where: Viale dei Quattro Venti 70, Monteverde Nuovo. The Trastevere shop at Via di San Cosimato 14a is the same business and a different door.
Verdict
should-visit — Marco Radicioni chose a vertical batch freezer because it beats in less air, pasteurises six litres at a time per flavour, and moved his whole production into the shop so nothing travels. Sarah Cicolini calls it her favourite gelateria in Rome and names the flavours that make the case: prickly pear, passion fruit with cocoa beans, gorgonzola with blond chocolate. The Infatuation traces him back to one of the city's first gourmet gelaterie, and Eater carries a gelato counter on a restaurant map. The shop makes what it sells where it sells it.