COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. | A trip to Italy two years ago turned Mari Younkin into a gelato aficionado.

“I fell in love with the richness and flavor,” the chef and cookbook author said. “If I’m going to have a treat, I choose gelato every time.”

For many first-time visitors to Rome, a lasting memory is enjoying intensely flavored gelato at the Spanish Steps. Although there are gelato carts or gelatorias on seemingly every other corner in Italy, the frozen sweet treat shop at the base of the famous steps is one of the more picturesque.

According to pickyourown.org, gelato is a combination of whole (or reduced fat) milk, eggs, sugar and natural flavoring — usually fresh fruit. It’s similar to ice cream but softer, lower in fat and features more intense fruit flavors. Historians say gelato was invented by Bernardo Buontalenti for the court of Francesco de Medici in 1565. Gelato is to Italians what ice cream is to Americans.

If gelato is simply the Italian equivalent of ice cream, why the big fuss?

“I prefer gelato over ice cream for two reasons,” Younkin said. “It has less butterfat than ice cream by 18 to 26 percent. And since it’s not frozen hard like ice cream — it’s only deeply chilled — the amazing full-flavor gelato melts faster in your mouth, giving you that enhanced taste. True gelato has very little air processed into the finished product.”

Another difference is gelato contains more sugar. Because gelato is denser, its flavors can be more intense than ordinary ice cream.

Like many of the more exotic foods that used to require a special trip to experience, the luscious Italian dessert has made its voyage across the seas to ice cream shops in the U.S. In Colorado Springs, one such shop is Glacier Homemade Ice Cream & Gelato at University Village Colorado.

Mike Van Schooneveld, owner of the shop, keeps about 18 flavors in his refrigerated gelato keeper. He rotates through about 50 recipes that he has perfected.

“Gelato is much harder to make than ice cream because it has less butterfat,” he said. “Ice cream is higher in fat, which can cover up mistakes. There’s nothing that compares to gelato. It’s not ice cream or soft serve.”

He makes his gelato in small portions with fresh fruit.

“We use only fresh ingredients,” he said. “Some gelato is made with a base that comes in a can or bag. Not here. We make everything from scratch, even the cookie dough or caramel. We don’t use any stabilizers. It has to be made in small batches. That’s why it’s displayed in the small oblong pans.”

Although Van Schooneveld has special gelato-churning machines from Italy, it’s possible to make a reasonable gelato at home.

“I use my Cuisinart ice cream maker for gelato,” Younkin said. “I process it in less time than I would for ice cream. Turns out beautifully.”

She makes gelatos featuring blueberry, blackberry, peach and raspberry.

“I’m working on a pomegranate gelato,” she said. “My favorite flavor is fresh strawberry mascarpone gelato. For chocolate lovers, I serve chocolate mascarpone nut gelato. Summertime fresh fruit is abundant, so I make a lot of fresh fruit gelato.”

And that’s exactly what Younkin does when she entertains friends this time of year. She sets up a gelato bar with several varieties for everyone to help themselves. And if you don’t have the time or desire to make your own gelato, you can visit Van Schooneveld’s shop.

Information from: The Gazette, https://www.gazette.com