Yearning for a trip to Italy this summer, but there’s just no room in the budget? A new gelato shop in the Heights has brought a little taste of Italia to you, and it’s the next best thing to hopping a plane to Rome. Dolce Neve opened on March 30th at 4721 North Main, owned by Italian siblings Marco and Francesca Silvestrini, along with Francesca’s husband Leopoldo Ferrarese. The trio owns another location in Austin, and their qualifications are no joke. Francesca studied gelato-making at Carpigiani Gelato University in Bologna and Gianfresco Cutelli at Gelateria De’Coltelli in Pisa. (Yes, gelato university is a real thing.) All three can go on at length about the science behind making truly excellent gelato.
The Heights location of Dolce Neve will feature about a dozen flavors on a rotating basis, from timeless favorites like strawberry, pistachio, and stracciatella, to more adventurous creations like goat cheese and pecan or chocolate with candied orange peel. All can be ordered as a cup, cone, affogato (think a root beer float, but with espresso instead of root beer) and as an ice cream sandwich. The majority of ingredients are locally sourced, and there are about 300 recipes in rotation at any given time.
No Italian cafe would be complete without a great cup of coffee. Dolce Neve serves Greenway coffee crafted into perfect espresso, cappuccino, and latte forms. Opening hours are 12:00-10:00 Sunday-Thursday and 12:00-11:00 on weekends.