Gelato is generally lower in fat than its American counterpart and runs at a 4-8 percent butterfat depending on the flavorings; ice cream usually has twice as much.

Caffé Gelato opened in Salem December 2005 and features authentic handcrafted gelato.

The flavors change daily and are both intense and delightful. Diners can find something to tease and delight their taste buds and they will probably have difficulty choosing a flavor. The caffé also makes panini grilled sandwiches and has soups, pastries, pies and espresso drinks.

On a recent visit I sampled Butterfinger, chocolate chip cookie dough, and coffee flavors. All were rich without being too sweet. Some of the other flavors offered that day were straciatella (sweet cream with honey, almond and chocolate), marionberry, papaya, marshmallow, orange, blackberry, oregon currant, grapefruit lemon and chocolate.