{"id":69110,"date":"2025-12-22T00:01:58","date_gmt":"2025-12-22T06:01:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=69110"},"modified":"2026-04-02T09:42:50","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T15:42:50","slug":"gelato-dolce-vita-italian-grocer-mesa-arizona","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=69110","title":{"rendered":"GELATO DOLCE VITA & ITALIAN GROCER – Mesa, Arizona"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"\"
Dolce Vita Gelato and Italian Grocer in Mesa<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cLa Grassa\u201d (The Fat One) is the nickname of Bologna, Italy.\u00a0 While that sobriquet may seem unflattering, Bologna bears it with honor.\u00a0 This city in the north-central region of the country is considered the “gastronomic heart of Italy<\/em>,” a place where food is an art form and a passion.\u00a0 \u00a0This may be best exemplified by one of the foods born in Bologna.\u00a0 I’m talking, of course, about gelato.\u00a0 Throughout “Lo Stivale” (the boot, a nickname bestowed upon Italy because the shape of the peninsula resembles a high-heeled boot) gelato is revered.\u00a0 Not surprisingly, Bologna is not only the home of Italy’s oldest university<\/strong><\/a> (and the oldest in the western world), but home to Carpigiani<\/strong><\/a>, “Gelato University.”<\/p>\n

\"\"
Just a Few of the Nearly One-Hundred Gelatos on the Menu<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Mesa, Arizona is the home of two of Carpigiani’s distinguished alumni.\u00a0 Both Walter Bergamaschi and Marti Printy, founders of the Gelato Dolce Vita attended the Gelato University.\u00a0 \u00a0Having grown up in Bergamo, about two-and-a-half hours from Bologna, they have been around superior gelato all their lives.\u00a0 In 2010, they launched Gelato Dolce Vita (literally “Gelato Sweet Life) in Mesa.\u00a0 At the time there were only two gelato shops in Phoenix.\u00a0 Ice cream shops dominated the market.\u00a0 In time, customers began to appreciate the difference between Italian gelato and ice cream.\u00a0 \u00a0As an aficionado of both, I can attest to the superiority of gelato which is silkier and more dense than ice cream.\u00a0 The higher density allows\u00a0gelato to pack much more flavor than traditional ice cream. Gelato also usually takes its flavors from natural sources and has less butterfat than ice cream.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Dolce de Leche Gelato and Madagascar Vanilla Gelato<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In 2014, Sicilian born Fabrizio Cali assumed ownership of Gelato Dolce Vita and gradually began expanding both the gelateria and the waistline of Phoenix area residents.\u00a0 Immediately next door to the gelateria, he launched a small Italian grocery which provides comestibles imported from Italy.\u00a0 He later began offering panini, salad and bruschetta. In October, 2021 after investing in a full commercial kitchen,\u00a0 Dolce Vita began serving hot food such as pasta, pizza, meatballs, and so much more.\u00a0 The eatery’s mission is to provide a casual dine-in experience featuring the most authentic Italian experience you can have. Dolce Vita doesn’t serve some iconic American Italian dishes (such as Alfredo Sauce and veal parmigiana) because those are dishes are not found in Italian food culture.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Lemon Gelato and Raffaelo Gelato<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dolce Vita is family owned and operated in every way.\u00a0 You’re likely to interact with the mom-and-daughter duo of Francesca and Marica.\u00a0 They’re not interchangeable.\u00a0 Francisca’s domain is the kitchen where she prepares incomparably delicious Italian foods.\u00a0 Marica serves as the pastry and gelato chef.\u00a0 Both were born and raised in Italy and are as friendly as can be.\u00a0 Marica told me she’s prepared about a hundred different flavors of gelato.\u00a0 Admittedly, she’s sampled a lot of gelato.\u00a0 Not all gelato flavors are on display in the freezer cases, but there will always be several flavors you’ll love.<\/p>\n

30 December 2024<\/strong>: During our inaugural visit, we learned that Dolce Vita has been named among the top three gelato shops in America by Yelp.\u00a0 Over the years, it’s earned a number of local and statewide awards<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0 Trust Marica to guide you.\u00a0 \u00a0We failed to notice the serving cups and both ordered our gelato on larger, family sized containers.\u00a0 That’s the type of mistake we don’t mind making as it meant having gelato to take home to our rental.\u00a0 My Kim’s gelato choices were dulce de leche<\/strong><\/em> and Madagascar vanilla<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0 Dulce de leche which translates from Spanish to “candy made from milk<\/em>,” is a thick and sugary caramel-like sauce that’s made by slowly heating sweet milk.\u00a0 It’s absolutely amazing–creamy, rich and addictive.\u00a0 Like my favorite barbecue, dulce de leche prepared low-and-slow.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Left: Lemoncello and Passion Fruit Gelato; Right: Chocolate and Pumpkin Pie Gelato<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

30 December 2024<\/strong>: Madagascar vanilla has higher concentrations of vanillin than beans from other countries, one of the main reasons Madagascar vanilla beans are so richly flavored.\u00a0 Quality is telling.\u00a0 The Madagascar vanilla gelato is the best vanilla anything we’ve ever had.\u00a0 Madagascar supplies two-thirds of the vanilla consumed around the world, making it by far the most common and popular variety.\u00a0 My choices were lemon gelato<\/strong><\/em> and Raffaelo gelato<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0 The lemon was lip-pursingly delicious, so refreshing and wonderful I lamented not having ordered a larger size.\u00a0 Raffaelo gelato\u00a0<\/span><\/span> is topped with toasted coconut flakes, blanched almonds and classic Raffaello candies.\u00a0 If the four gelato flavors we had are any indication, we might just have to move to Mesa to be in closer proximity to Dolce Vita.<\/p>\n

22 December 2025<\/strong>:\u00a0 In the 1960s, personality\u00a0psychologist Hans Eysenck and others theorized that\u00a0introverts\u00a0produce\u00a0more saliva\u00a0than\u00a0extroverts due to natural differences in the biology of nervous systems. They believed introverts are characterized by a state of higher cortical arousal\u00a0which increases wakefulness, vigilance, muscle tone, and heart rate. Consequently, they really do not need much stimulation to push them beyond the threshold of relaxation and into the realm of\u00a0anxiety\u00a0and overstimulation. Extroverts, however, have a lower starting point for arousal and therefore need more stimulation to get to the same point.<\/p>\n

\"\"
The Other Half of the Space Features Italian Commestibles, Salumi, Fromaggio, Sandwiches, Pizza, Pasta, Pastries and More<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One of the ways in which this theory was tested was the “lemon test” in which several drops of lemon juice were placed on a subject’s tongue.\u00a0 Theoretically, the amount of saliva produced revealed the level of introversion.\u00a0 Although I’ve always considred myself an introvert, I love tart flavors.\u00a0 My very favorite gelato flavors are limoncello<\/strong><\/em> and passion fruit<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0 I probably would have been measured very highly on the introvert scale, but that’s because the gelato is so absolutely delicious.\u00a0 My Kim, a bona fide extrovert, wouldn’t touch the lip-pursing tartness of my gelato, preferring instead the pumpkin pie gelato<\/strong><\/em> and a scoop of chocolate gelato<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0 Both were superb!<\/p>\n

Though our inaugural visit was a fulfillment of a dessert craving, we enjoyed the gelato in the grocery-restaurant section of the space.\u00a0 There we espied art under glass, a fridge showcasing cheeses (formaggi) and cured meats (salume) from Italy.\u00a0 On a separate case were pastries showcasing more of Marica’s talent.\u00a0 Shelves were replete with such Italian groceries as boutique olive oil, balsamic vinegar and marmalade made in the Italian Alps.\u00a0 We witnessed as several diners split sandwiches, a concept we don’t often see in New Mexico.\u00a0 We were to learn that sharing is almost necessary because the sandwiches are so large that it takes two people to finish them.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Formaggi and Pastries<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The menu is segmented: Cold Panini, Panini Gourmet, Fried Panini, Pasta & Pizza and Pinsa (Roman flatbread).\u00a0 The take-out menu, which doubles as the appetizer menu, lists hot appetizers, salads, charcuterie boards, bruschetta and soup-of-the-day.\u00a0 Perusing that menu should come with a caution:\u00a0 “Warning: May Cause Involuntary Salivation<\/em>.”\u00a0 This is one seriously wonderful menu, equal to or better than the menu at many a fine-dining Italian restaurant.\u00a0 After two visits, my Kim called Dolce Vita “even better than <\/em>Guido’s Chicago Meat & Deli<\/strong><\/a>.<\/em>”\u00a0 \u00a0Those are words I never thought I’d hear from her.<\/p>\n

3 January 2025: <\/strong>\u00a0As we waited for our meal to be delivered, Francesca ferried over a basket of Italian bread<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0 On our table was a glass oil and vinegar cruet with an inner chamber designed to hold vinegar and an outer chamber holding olive oil.\u00a0 Access to both in one convenient container is genius.\u00a0 My Kim decided such a cruet is what she wants for her birthday so maybe this year I won’t be such a bad gift-giver.\u00a0 Such a cruet deserves a bread worthy of high-quality balsamic vinegar and olive oil.\u00a0 Dolce Vita’s bread is outstanding!\u00a0 Simultaneously airy and dense, the bread has wonderful absorbing qualities.\u00a0 It probably would have worked well with butter, too.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Wonderful Italian Bread with Olive Oil and Vinegar<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

3 January 2025<\/strong>:\u00a0 Quite naturally, this lexiphile immediately noticed the menu had a “Charcuterie Board” section.\u00a0 It struck me as funny because “charcuterie” is French and though a similar concept exists in Italy, it should have been called “Salumeria” or “Salumi.”\u00a0 Both charcuterie and salumi indicate a type of cured meat.\u00a0 Italians will argue that while French cheeses are quite good, French cured meats aren’t nearly as good as Italian cured meats.\u00a0 Though I normally like both good grammar and good taste, the priority at Dolce Vita was, of course, great taste.<\/p>\n

That’s what we got with the Italian Board<\/strong><\/em> (assorted cured meats and cheeses, meatballs, fried cheese, olives, artichokes, eggplant and giardiniera).\u00a0 Quite simply, this was one of the very best boards we’ve ever had.\u00a0 Where to start?\u00a0 I’m not likely to do true justice to anything on the board.\u00a0 Among the favorites were the Sicilian meatballs, two smallish orbs covered in tomato sauce and topped with cheese.\u00a0 These meatballs were superb, an exemplar of the type of meatballs you want either on their own or with spaghetti.\u00a0 Three cured meats–hot capicola, salami and mortadella–were immensely and intensely flavorful.\u00a0 A trio of cheeses, including a soft, tender mozzarella were on par with the meats.\u00a0 The giardiniera was tailor-made for an Italian beef sandwich (not on the menu; it’s a Chicago staple not found in Italy).\u00a0 The baked eggplant parmigiana was terrific.<\/p>\n

\"\"
The Italian Board<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

3 January 2025<\/strong>:\u00a0 Though the menu listed fried pizza as one of the items on the Italian board, Fabrizio related that there would only be one shareable slice.\u00a0 When we shared how much we loved fried pizza<\/strong><\/em>, he suggested we order one separately.\u00a0 He explained that fried pizza has its genesis in Naples where it’s served “folded over.”\u00a0 That concept (folding it over) would be considered too extreme for many Americans, he said.\u00a0 As such, the fried pizza is served conventional pizza style.\u00a0 That’s the way it’s served at Luigi’s Ristorante & Pizzeria<\/strong><\/a> whose fried pizza made it onto Gil’s “Best of the Best<\/strong><\/a>” for 2024.<\/p>\n

3 January 2025<\/strong>: Unlike at Luigi’s, the fried pizza crust at Dolce Vita is soft and light, not crispy.\u00a0 Francesca explained that the pizza dough is indeed fried after being rolled out.\u00a0 Once it reaches a desired consistency, she heaps on tomato sauce, mozzarella and basil, the three ingredients found on the Margherita pzza, forerunner to today’s modern pizza.\u00a0 We thought it would be heretical to ask for sausage or pepperoni.\u00a0 The pizza was fabulous, easily one of the best pizzas we’ve had in the Valley of The Sun…and we’ve had a lot of pizza in the Phoenix area.\u00a0 Fabrizio is proud of the restaurant’s fried pizza<\/strong><\/em>, confiding that several restaurants in the area try to make fried pizza but come up woefully short.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Fried Pizza<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

22 December 2025:\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>On our third visit to Dolce Vita, I was determined to try one of the sandwiches every other table seemed to have at least one of.\u00a0 Would it be from the cold panini section of the menu?\u00a0 What about the panini gourmet section?\u00a0 Or the fried panini?\u00a0 Maybe something from the hot panini section of the menu?\u00a0 When all else failed, I asked our server to recommend a sandwich yet to be discovered by the masses, a sandwich he can’t get enough of.\u00a0 Without hesitation, he recommended the Toscana<\/strong><\/em> (mortadella, pesto, burrata, tomato) from the panini gourmet section of the menu.\u00a0 The combination of ingredients is one combination of which I had never conceived.<\/p>\n

The Toscana is a surprisingly good sandwich,\u00a0 it’s constructed on stretched pizza dough.\u00a0 Finish one of the sandwiches on the panini gourmet menu and your photograph will be posted on a wall of honor.\u00a0 Frankly, it was sufficient challenge to polish off half a sandwich.\u00a0 As absolutely delicious as this behemoth sandwich was, I figured it would be at least as good the following day.\u00a0 Mortadella, considered an “elevated form of American baloney” is a finely ground Intalian cured pork sausage renowned for its pale pink color, silky texture and flecks of white pork fat with flavors such as pistachio.\u00a0 It’s so much better than American baloney.\u00a0 Then there’s the creamy, rich burrata, mozarella’s sublime cousin. Good as these ingredients are, it’s the bread that makes this sandwich special.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\"\"
Toscana Gourmet Panini<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

22 December 2025:\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>Having fallen in love with the fried pizza, my Kim thought she’d try her luck with fried pasta<\/strong><\/em> (pasta with sausages, ham and mozzarella).\u00a0 It may remind you of mozzarrella sticks in that like the popular starter, a bread crums and egg wash crust forms over the sausage, ham and mozzarella.\u00a0 It’s unique and surprisingly good though it may have been even better with a marinara sauce in which to dip the fried pasta.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\"\"
Fried Pasta<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

3 January 2025:\u00a0 <\/strong>Sitting in close proximity to the dessert case, I thought my Kim would go for one of the spectacular treats under glass.\u00a0 I was surprised there weren’t drool tracks on that glass considering what was available: tiramisu, profiterols, pistachio ricotta cheesecake, Napoleon cake, Italian lemon cake, lemoncello cake and more, all exemplars of Marica’s pastry skills.\u00a0 Instead, my Kim opted for more of Dolce Vita’s amazing gelato.\u00a0 This time it was two scoops of dulce de leche gelato, not the family size portion this time.<\/p>\n

3 January 2025<\/strong>:\u00a0 Before ordering a dessert for myself, I asked Marica whch of the two lemon cakes–Italian lemon cake or lemoncello cake–was more “lemony.”\u00a0 She suggested the lemoncello cake<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0 Though delightfully lemony, it was just a bit on the sweet side.\u00a0 One mysterious textural element on the frosting intrigued me.\u00a0 My first inclination was “turbinado sugar” which has a crystalline texture.\u00a0 Marica clarified that she crumbles lemon cookies onto the frosting, ergo the texture.\u00a0 The cake itself has the consistency of lady fingers.\u00a0 It’s soft and moist, obviously very fresh.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Top: Dulce De Leche Gelato; Bottom: Lemoncello Cake<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Though we’ve visited several Italian delis and gelaterias in the Phoenix area,\u00a0Gelato Dolce Vita and Grocery stands out.\u00a0 If ever we move to the area, it will be on account of gems like this one.<\/p>\n

GELATO DOLCE VITA AND GROCERY\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>
\n5251 E. Brown Rd. #104
\nMesa, Arizona<\/strong>
\n(480) 218-0225
\nWebsite<\/strong><\/a> | Facebook Page<\/strong><\/a>
\nLATEST VISIT<\/strong>: 22 December 2025
\n1st VISIT<\/strong>: 27 December 2024
\n# OF VISITS<\/strong>: 3
\nRATING<\/strong>: Outstanding<\/strong><\/span>\u2013A stand-out; delivers a memorable dining experience through a harmonious blend of exceptional food, attentive service, and consistent quality
\nCOST<\/strong>: $$
\nBEST BET<\/strong>: Lemon Gelato, Madascar Vanilla Gelato, Dulce De Leche Gelato, Raffaelo Gelato, Limoncello Cake, Fried Pizza, Italian Board, Limoncello Gelato, Passion Fruit Gelato, Pumpkin Pie Gelato, Chocolate Gelato
\nREVIEW #1444<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cLa Grassa\u201d (The Fat One) is the nickname of Bologna, Italy.\u00a0 While that sobriquet may seem unflattering, Bologna bears it with honor.\u00a0 This city in the north-central region of the country is considered the “gastronomic heart of Italy,” a place where food is an art form and a passion.\u00a0 \u00a0This may be best exemplified by one of the foods born in Bologna.\u00a0 I’m talking, of course, about gelato.\u00a0 Throughout “Lo Stivale” (the boot, a nickname bestowed upon Italy because the shape of the peninsula resembles a high-heeled boot) gelato is revered.\u00a0 Not surprisingly, Bologna is not only the home of Italy’s oldest university (and the oldest in the western world), but home to Carpigiani, “Gelato University.” Mesa, Arizona is the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":71802,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[28,4597,71,68,553],"tags":[1805,4645,4567,4602,4647,4642,4644,4575,1470,4646,4598,4643,4599,4600,5391,4601,936,4576,5392,789,5393,4648,2642,836],"class_list":["post-69110","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arizona","category-gelato","category-italian","category-pizza","category-across-america","tag-bruschetta","tag-carpigiani","tag-chocolate-gelato","tag-dulce-de-leche-gelato","tag-fabrizio-cali","tag-fried-pizza","tag-fromaggio","tag-gelateria","tag-gelato","tag-gelato-university","tag-groceries","tag-italian-board","tag-italian-cheeses","tag-lemon-gelato","tag-limoncello-gelato","tag-madascar-vanilla-gelato","tag-meatballs","tag-panini","tag-passion-fruit-gelato","tag-pizza","tag-pumpkin-pie-gelato","tag-salad","tag-salume","tag-subs"],"yoast_head":"\nGELATO DOLCE VITA & ITALIAN GROCER - Mesa, Arizona - Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=69110\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"GELATO DOLCE VITA & ITALIAN GROCER - Mesa, Arizona - Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u201cLa Grassa\u201d (The Fat One) is the nickname of Bologna, Italy.\u00a0 While that sobriquet may seem unflattering, Bologna bears it with honor.\u00a0 This city in the north-central region of the country is considered the “gastronomic heart of Italy,” a place where food is an art form and a passion.\u00a0 \u00a0This may be best exemplified by one of the foods born in Bologna.\u00a0 I’m talking, of course, about gelato.\u00a0 Throughout “Lo Stivale” (the boot, a nickname bestowed upon Italy because the shape of the peninsula resembles a high-heeled boot) gelato is revered.\u00a0 Not surprisingly, Bologna is not only the home of Italy’s oldest university (and the oldest in the western world), but home to Carpigiani, “Gelato University.” Mesa, Arizona is the…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=69110\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/nmgastronome\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-12-22T06:01:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-02T15:42:50+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/DolceVita18-1024x900.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Gil Garduno\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Gil Garduno\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"14 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=69110#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=69110\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Gil Garduno\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/423b9c3eeeb199e43ab4f1f584fa67bf\"},\"headline\":\"GELATO DOLCE VITA & ITALIAN GROCER – Mesa, Arizona\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-22T06:01:58+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-02T15:42:50+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=69110\"},\"wordCount\":2553,\"commentCount\":4,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=69110#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/01\\\/DolceVita18-scaled.png\",\"keywords\":[\"Bruschetta\",\"Carpigiani\",\"Chocolate Gelato\",\"Dulce De Leche Gelato\",\"Fabrizio Cali\",\"Fried Pizza\",\"Fromaggio\",\"Gelateria\",\"Gelato\",\"Gelato University\",\"Groceries\",\"Italian Board\",\"Italian Cheeses\",\"Lemon Gelato\",\"Limoncello Gelato\",\"Madascar Vanilla Gelato\",\"Meatballs\",\"Panini\",\"Passion Fruit Gelato\",\"Pizza\",\"Pumpkin Pie Gelato\",\"Salad\",\"Salume\",\"Subs\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Arizona\",\"Gelato\",\"Italian\",\"Pizza\",\"United States\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=69110#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=69110\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=69110\",\"name\":\"GELATO DOLCE VITA & ITALIAN GROCER - Mesa, Arizona - Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=69110#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=69110#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/01\\\/DolceVita18-scaled.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-22T06:01:58+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-02T15:42:50+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=69110#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=69110\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=69110#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/01\\\/DolceVita18-scaled.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/01\\\/DolceVita18-scaled.png\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":2249,\"caption\":\"Toscana Gourmet Panini\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=69110#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"GELATO DOLCE VITA & ITALIAN GROCER – Mesa, Arizona\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog\",\"description\":\"Follow the Culinary Ruminations of New Mexico's Sesquipedalian Sybarite. 1,522 Restaurant Reviews, More Than 14,900 Visitor Comments...And Counting!\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"\",\"contentUrl\":\"\",\"caption\":\"Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/423b9c3eeeb199e43ab4f1f584fa67bf\",\"name\":\"Gil Garduno\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/140571d25459ad5954bce10ffc2f8c8d21c92edf345ea30e6145c3e68a417af1?s=96&r=pg\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/140571d25459ad5954bce10ffc2f8c8d21c92edf345ea30e6145c3e68a417af1?s=96&r=pg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/140571d25459ad5954bce10ffc2f8c8d21c92edf345ea30e6145c3e68a417af1?s=96&r=pg\",\"caption\":\"Gil Garduno\"},\"description\":\"Since 2008, the tagline on Gil\u2019s Thrilling (And Filling) Blog has invited you to \u201cFollow the Culinary Ruminations of New Mexico\u2019s Sesquipedalian Sybarite.\u201d To date, more than six million visitors have trusted (or at least visited) my recommendations on more than 1,300 restaurant reviews. Please take a few minutes to tell me what you think. Whether you agree or disagree with me, I'd love to hear about it.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/%20\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/nmgastronome\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/nmgastronome\\\/\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"GELATO DOLCE VITA & ITALIAN GROCER - Mesa, Arizona - Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=69110","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"GELATO DOLCE VITA & ITALIAN GROCER - Mesa, Arizona - Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog","og_description":"\u201cLa Grassa\u201d (The Fat One) is the nickname of Bologna, Italy.\u00a0 While that sobriquet may seem unflattering, Bologna bears it with honor.\u00a0 This city in the north-central region of the country is considered the “gastronomic heart of Italy,” a place where food is an art form and a passion.\u00a0 \u00a0This may be best exemplified by one of the foods born in Bologna.\u00a0 I’m talking, of course, about gelato.\u00a0 Throughout “Lo Stivale” (the boot, a nickname bestowed upon Italy because the shape of the peninsula resembles a high-heeled boot) gelato is revered.\u00a0 Not surprisingly, Bologna is not only the home of Italy’s oldest university (and the oldest in the western world), but home to Carpigiani, “Gelato University.” Mesa, Arizona is the…","og_url":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=69110","og_site_name":"Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog","article_author":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/nmgastronome\/","article_published_time":"2025-12-22T06:01:58+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-04-02T15:42:50+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1024,"height":900,"url":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/DolceVita18-1024x900.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Gil Garduno","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Gil Garduno","Est. reading time":"14 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=69110#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=69110"},"author":{"name":"Gil Garduno","@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/#\/schema\/person\/423b9c3eeeb199e43ab4f1f584fa67bf"},"headline":"GELATO DOLCE VITA & ITALIAN GROCER – Mesa, Arizona","datePublished":"2025-12-22T06:01:58+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-02T15:42:50+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=69110"},"wordCount":2553,"commentCount":4,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=69110#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/DolceVita18-scaled.png","keywords":["Bruschetta","Carpigiani","Chocolate Gelato","Dulce De Leche Gelato","Fabrizio Cali","Fried Pizza","Fromaggio","Gelateria","Gelato","Gelato University","Groceries","Italian Board","Italian Cheeses","Lemon Gelato","Limoncello Gelato","Madascar Vanilla Gelato","Meatballs","Panini","Passion Fruit Gelato","Pizza","Pumpkin Pie Gelato","Salad","Salume","Subs"],"articleSection":["Arizona","Gelato","Italian","Pizza","United States"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=69110#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=69110","url":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=69110","name":"GELATO DOLCE VITA & ITALIAN GROCER - Mesa, Arizona - Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=69110#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=69110#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/DolceVita18-scaled.png","datePublished":"2025-12-22T06:01:58+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-02T15:42:50+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=69110#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=69110"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=69110#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/DolceVita18-scaled.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/DolceVita18-scaled.png","width":2560,"height":2249,"caption":"Toscana Gourmet Panini"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=69110#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"GELATO DOLCE VITA & ITALIAN GROCER – Mesa, Arizona"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/","name":"Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog","description":"Follow the Culinary Ruminations of New Mexico's Sesquipedalian Sybarite. 1,522 Restaurant Reviews, More Than 14,900 Visitor Comments...And Counting!","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/#organization","name":"Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog","url":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"","contentUrl":"","caption":"Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/#\/schema\/person\/423b9c3eeeb199e43ab4f1f584fa67bf","name":"Gil Garduno","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/140571d25459ad5954bce10ffc2f8c8d21c92edf345ea30e6145c3e68a417af1?s=96&r=pg","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/140571d25459ad5954bce10ffc2f8c8d21c92edf345ea30e6145c3e68a417af1?s=96&r=pg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/140571d25459ad5954bce10ffc2f8c8d21c92edf345ea30e6145c3e68a417af1?s=96&r=pg","caption":"Gil Garduno"},"description":"Since 2008, the tagline on Gil\u2019s Thrilling (And Filling) Blog has invited you to \u201cFollow the Culinary Ruminations of New Mexico\u2019s Sesquipedalian Sybarite.\u201d To date, more than six million visitors have trusted (or at least visited) my recommendations on more than 1,300 restaurant reviews. Please take a few minutes to tell me what you think. Whether you agree or disagree with me, I'd love to hear about it.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/%20","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/nmgastronome\/","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/nmgastronome\/"],"url":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69110","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=69110"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69110\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":78616,"href":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69110\/revisions\/78616"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/71802"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=69110"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=69110"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=69110"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}