Cape Cod overflows with ice cream. Throughout the sandy peninsula, there are shops galore. Yet, in South Yarmouth, in a cottage once a post office, Caffé Gelato Bertini churns gelato instead, batch by batch with fresh ingredients. The gelato has the luxurious texture and deep flavor of the authentic Italian specialty. There are two-dozen selections, and classic creations like custardy zabaglione, its orange flavor enhanced with Marsala. Stracciatella is drizzled with dark chocolate; mascarpone is dense with a cheesecake-like taste. The choices include mainstream flavors, too, such as vanilla, chocolate, peach, rum raisin, and blueberry. The lemon is refreshing and makes your lips pucker. Some are seasonal, created with local fruit and ingredients imported from Italy (cups are $4 to $6; a cone, $4.50). Owners Cindy and Tom Duby use milk, not cream, and old Florentine recipes from the shop’s previous owners, sisters Alessandra and Susi Bertini. The Italian sisters worked in the family’s gelateria in Florence, learning the craft from their father, and ran their Cape Cod gelato store, formerly in Hyannis, for one season. The Dubys apprenticed under the sisters and bought the business, later spending time in Bologna to study gelato making. Both had previous careers: Cindy was a journalist for the Country Journal in the Berkshires and the Berkshire Eagle, while Tom worked in the tool and die industry. “We took on this venture as a segue to retirement, but we never got to the retirement part,” says Cindy. Caffé Gelato Bertini also offers gelato shakes, sorbetto made with fresh fruits, Italian sodas, espresso, and coffee drinks. 46 South St., South Yarmouth, 508-778-0244, capecodgelato.com.
ANN TRIEGER KURLAND