We’ve become big fans of Airbnb Experiences since they came around – what better way to get to know a new city than to have someone who lives there show you their favorite things? So it is with this Experience – there’s a woman named Laura in Rome, who knows people at the largest gelato factory in the city, and will take you on a tour in the “laboratory,” which is where the magic happens.

This is part of our 100 Things in 2018 challenge. Make sure to click on the photos!

Giovanni Fassi is one of the oldest names in gelato, and their gelateria is absolutely massive. Most places in Rome are just large enough for maybe 5 tables, but this one had at least 20, and lots of room for standing. We arrived just before the place opened for business, and our guide made hand signals to someone inside, and we entered through a side door. We then donned booties and hair nets, and went back behind the counters into the area where the gelato is made.

And then this nice, fast-talking, bearded Italian man handed me a giant immersion blender, and told me to liquify the strawberries. What was I going to do? You don’t turn down a gift blender, so I took it. I like to think I did a pretty good job, because the sorbetto al fragola that we tasted 10 minutes later was divine.

This was truly a unique experience, and stands out in a trip that was bursting with memorable moments. I was grinning the entire time we were there, from the moment we got to go in through the back door until our last Sanpietrino.