A grattachecca summer
As Italy’s tourist season gets into full swing, visitors to Rome will see queues forming at stalls that sell colourful, fruit-laden cooling drinks. They are refreshing, quite addictive and have been helping to beat the summer heat for around 100 yrs.
Jesper Storgaard Jensen
Rome’s iconic grattachecca has many different looks. It can be a flashy and passionate red, the gleaming green of spring’s first blades of grass or the inviting orange of a hot burning sun. You can opt for one simple flavour or let the tastebuds loose on a complex mix of the bitter, sweet or exotic topped with a pile of fresh fruit pieces to finish it off.
Say grattachecca (gratta-kay-cah) to a Roman and you will get a wide smile in return. Several generations of them have sweet memories of hot summer days spent overlooking the Tiber River with friends and sipping a grattachecca. For the new visitor to the Eternal City, it can come as a surprise when the temperatures soar above 35 degrees celsius and the stifling humidity kicks in. But, those who discover the ice-laden grattachecca will find a fun way to chill out. And, as we show in our taste test, some famous faces have also stopped to buy one.
This is a particularly Roman specialty that dates back to be beginning of the 20th century. It is made of freshly grated ice blended with fruit syrups that are made especially for the drink. The syrup flavors include lemon, orange, coconut, mandarin, cherry, pineapple or papaya. The concoction is topped with freshly cut pieces of fruit. Personally, I find it an extremely efficient and refreshing treat with one drawback: it is totally addictive!
From snow to ice blocks
While the version we know today is nudging a century, legend has it that the Roman Emperor, Nero, had snow delivered from Rome’s surrounding mountains to his imperial residence. The snow was flavored with various fruit syrups, reportedly pleasing the irascible emperor. This was the early version of the grattachecca.
Centuries later, in the early 1900s, food and beverages were cooled with large blocks of ice called checca. An inventive vendor came up with the idea to grate, or grattare, the ice and make a drink. Hence the name grattachecca.
Even today, you will see young workers engaged in the exhausting task of shaving the large ice blocks using a metal grater. Modern technology has given us pre-prepared crushed ice, but purists will suggest that the freshly grated version makes for a better end result. As they furiously grate, pieces of ice shoot everywhere like watery sparks. This is not a job for the weak. The graters begin work in early May when the heat starts to pervade Rome and don’t stop until the beginning of October.
For something quite historic, the drink retains a fresh, cutting-edge feel. Even local media often refer to it as “a cult favorite.” As such, grattachecca kiosks were spread throughout the city, but over the past couple of decades the number has decreased significantly. Today only 10 to 12 are still in business.
We took a Roman walk to sample the capital’s famous thirst quencher. Our taste test results are:
Fonte d’Oro
Lungotevere Sanzio/Piazza Belli
(Trastevere quarter)
Opening hours: 12.00 – 02.00
The Fonte d’Oro kiosk in Rome’s cosy Trastevere neighbourhood opened in 1913 and is the city’s oldest. Five generations of the Crescenzi family have run the kiosk.
The most popular flavour is lemon and coconut grattachecca invented by Sergio Crescenzi about half a century ago. The kiosk’s specialty is the colourful grattachecca with black currant and lemon syrup topped with fresh coconut pieces. Two of Italian cinema’s most famous actors, Marcello Mastroianni and Anna Magnani, got their grattachecca fix at the Fonte d’Oro. American actor, Leonardo di Caprio, recently dropped by for the classic drink. Stop by during the daytime to avoid the long queues that often form after around 10pm as young people fill the Trastevere for its bustling nightlife.
Sora Mirella
Lungotevere degli Anguillara
(Trastevere quarter at the Cestio Bridge) Opening hours: 10.00 – 03.30
A short walk along the Tiber River and just before the Tiber Island will bring you to another historical grattachecca kiosk, Sora Mirella. Many seeking to quench their thirst select it for not only its central location, but its long opening hours. The Mancini family opened the kiosk in the 1960s and have updated it many times during the last 50 years. Current owner, Stefano Simoni, proudly recounts that Sora Mirella’s most prominent guest to date has been US President, Barack Obama, and his family.
“One summer evening in 2009 all of a sudden an impressive motorcade stopped in front of our kiosk and shortly after, President Obama, his wife Michelle and their children were ordering our grattacheccas,” said Simoni, beaming with pride. “It was totally unreal.”
Order the Superfruit for a veritable vitamin bomb made with a mix of orange and lemon syrup and packed with fresh pieces of peach, melon, pineapple, kiwi fruit and strawberry. It is a liquid meal that leaves little room for dinner.
Sora Lella
Via Porta Cavalleggeri
(near St Peter’s Basilica)
Opening hours: 11.00 – 02.00
In the shadow of St Peter’s impressive dome, you find another Roman grattachecca institution, Sora Lella, meaning Mrs Lella, who opened the kiosk in 1936. Today her daughter, Maria, and son-in-law, Luigi Manin, operate the stand. Maria is a charming character who grew up in the heart of Rome at Piazza Navona. She’s lived a large and long life in the Eternal City and is more than happy to tell you about her encounters as she creates her cooling concoctions.
“Throughout the years several cardinals have stopped by to taste our grattacheccas,” she says proudly. “And later, a few of them have actually become popes.”
The kiosk is tastefully decorated with black and white photos of bygone times.
Luigi shows off an old ice grater. “This guy has been here in the kiosk since the very beginning in 1936 and he still knows how to do his job,” he says with a smile.
Sora Lella offers 20 different fruit syrups that can be combined with fresh coconut, pineapple, strawberry and raspberry fruit chunks.
Choosing the right grattachecca here is not an easy task.
La Grattachecca
Piazzale di Ponte Milvio
(the northern part of Rome near the Milvio Bridge)
Opening hours: 16.00 – 02.00
Young people flock to the area around the Milvio Bridge in the northern part of Rome near the Olympic Stadium. The quarter is filled with chic restaurants, wine bars, trendy cocktail lounges and old-fashioned pizzerias. However, the coolest spot is the modest kiosk La Grattachecca founded in 1939. Rita Manni operates the stand that, like the nearby Tiber River, seems to overflow with flavors.
“You can choose between 24 different flavors and, of course, we do a lot of combinations of the various syrups,” she says.
The kiosk’s specialty is a bittersweet mix of lemon and coconut flavors and freshly chopped fruit pieces.
Judging from the crowd around the kiosk, young Romans are more than happy to skip the hard stuff for this non-alcoholic offering.
It is a summer tradition to hit the Milvio Bridge stand. However, make sure you’re in the queue before 10pm because after that hour it just grows longer and longer.
Sora Maria
Via Tronfale/via Telesio
(Prati quarter, near the Vatican Museum) Opening hours: 11.00 – 03.00
Many Romans would swear on the Bible that Sora Maria, located just a 10 minute walk from the Vatican Museum, is Rome’s best grattachecca kiosk.
The kiosk has more than 1200 Facebook friends and no doubt more to make during Rome’s traditionally hot summers.
The long queues here often block traffic around the kiosk and are testimony to this being an institution. Local residents in the Trionfale quarter are more than willing to while away some time for this cool treat. The small grattachecca kiosk’s shutters were raised for the first time in 1933 and ever since, the Sciarrone family has swung thousands of tasty thirst extinguishers over the small counter. Sora Maria has innumerable combinations of flavors, including different citrus fruits mixed with strawberry and coconut syrup. One of the favorites among loyal clients is any syrup mixed with fresh orange and lemon pieces from Italy’s citrus-growing capital, the Amalfi Coast.
Other grattachecca kiosks in Rome:
Chiosco Buenos Aires
Viale Regina Margherita/Via Buenos Aires (Trieste quarter)
Opening hours: 17.00 – 02.00
Chisoco Testaccio
Via G. Branco (Testaccio quarter)
Opening hours: 11.00 – 02.00
L’urto
Via del Porto Fluviale (Ostiense quarter)
Opening hours: 12.00 – 02.00
Grattachecca Romana
Lungotevere di Nona (Rome’s centre)
Opening hours: 11.00 – 02.00