There’s even a place to sit while you eat that resembles the Spanish Steps in the famous film scene.
Even if you’ve never seen the 1953 classic film Roman Holiday starring Audrey Hepburn, you may be familiar with the scene of Audrey’s character Princess Ann eating gelato on Rome’s Spanish Steps.
▼ The Spanish Steps in Italy, where it’s actually prohibited to eat gelato today
While that scene was filmed almost 75 years ago, you can still eat the same gelato that was featured in the movie…all while being half a world apart!
Italian cafe and pastry shop Giolitti was founded way back in 1890. It currently operates three locations in Japan, thanks in part to cooperation from the Italian Embassy in Japan. The branch in Tokyo’s trendy Harajuku neighborhood is located inside of the Tokyu Plaza Harakado “Harajuku Corner” shopping complex that opened last year.
▼ Harakado
Specifically, you can find it in the food court area on the sixth floor.
Here’s a peek at the menu. It has the standard gelato flavors, plus some slightly more expensive premium ones. You can also mix and match different flavors–including regular with premium–and the price will change accordingly.
When we visited, we opted for one scoop each of blackberry, coconut, and gianduja (chocolate with hazelnut paste), the premium flavor exclusive to the Harakado location. It came to 1,038 yen (US$6.73).
There’s a spacious dining area on the same floor, but there’s an even more fitting place for eating Giolitti’s gelato.
Standing with your back to the store, find the door on the far right and go outside into the terrace area.
Almost magically, you’ll see the Harajuku version of Rome’s Spanish Steps right before your eyes! This spot was perfect for replicating the feeling of Princess Ann eating gelato on the Steps.
Despite being October, it was a hot day and the gelato was melting very quickly. It tasted absolutely delicious, though.
In particular, the premium gianduja flavor was super rich. It was almost as if high-grade chocolate had been directly transformed into gelato. The other flavors also had a delightful depth without a heavy aftertaste.
We never thought that we’d recreate a gelato-eating scene from a beloved movie with the same exact gelato over half a century later. Then again, perhaps it’s more believable than some of the other things that we’ve tried to recreate recently.
Store information
Giolitti Tokyu Plaza Harajuku Harakado / ジョリッティ 東急プラザ原宿ハラカド
Address: Tokyo-to, Shibuya-ku, Jingu-mae 6-31-21, 6th floor
東京都渋谷区神宮前 6-31-21 6F
Open: 11 a.m.-11 p.m. (last order at 10 p.m.)
Website
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