Gelato: Italienische Eiszeiten

In the organizer's words:

Reading and talk with Peter Peter:

The author Peter Peter takes a journey through the history of the origin and spread of "gelato" and through ice cream parlors from Sicily to the Alps - always on the trail of the most original frozen specialties.

Hosted by Salvatore Viola, head of service at ADESSO magazine.

Gelato al limone, cassata or stracciatella: ice cream is Italian. Italians are convinced of this - and so is the rest of the world. And indeed: "granita" and "sorbetto" were invented in Sicily over a thousand years ago. The fact that Caterina de Medici made ice cream famous at the French royal court may only be legend - but the ice cream makers from the Dolomites, who brought the cold delicacies to Germany via Austria from the mid-19th century, are very real: Ladin family dynasties from the Veneto still dominate the northern market with "ice cream parlors" called Rialto and Portofino. Peter Peter tells the amazing story of "gelato" - from the first evidence in cuneiform writing to the threat posed by industrially produced "ice cream" and the triumph of the artisanal "gelato artigianale" with exotic flavors such as salted caramel or sesame.

Peter Peter teaches at the Gastrosophy Center of the University of Salzburg. The Munich native wrote an award-winning cultural history of Italian cuisine as well as literary guides to Sicily and Naples. His book on Umbria won the ENIT prize for the best German-language guide to Italy. In the column "Peters Lebensart" in the 'Rotary-Magazin', in the podcast "machtHunger" and in the blog "Laconique" he informs about current gastronomic trends.

The reading will take place as part of ILfest 2026, Italian Literature Festival Munich, from April 24 to 26, 2026 at Kultur im Trafo and Münchner Stadtbibliothek Neuhausen.

Price information:

Tickets at ilfest.de