Owners Pat and Bruno Forte, who trace their family's ice cream-making roots back 120 years to a village in the Abruzzi Mountains, opened their authentic gelato parlor on a prime spot on College Green with views of Bristol Cathedral. Swoon makes the ice cream on the premises in full view of customers and passersby on the other side of the glass-walled "gelato lab" at the front of the shop. Expect specialty flavors that include tiramisu, bacio (chocolate and hazelnut), Amarena cherry cheesecake and Crema della Nonna, a traditional Italian custard dessert, along with a regularly-changing seasonal flavor list. Other handmade treats include sorbetti, stecchi (sticks of gelato dipped in chocolate) and monoporzioni (small puddings), along with pastries from local bakeries and coffee from Extract.

Joanna Clifford

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