Capogiro loosely translates from Italian as “head spinning.” Owners Stephanie and John Reitano hoped for this effect when they opened the nouveau gelateria in 2002, upon returning to Philadelphia from John’s native Italy.
Capogiro’s modish interior is decked out in my favorite color: blue. This is a rare moment when the tables aren’t thronged.
As of June 16, 2006, Capogiro had generated 306 flavors of gelato and sorbet. They feature 27 flavors per day, each bin decorated with the respective flavor’s core ingredient, including Chilean table grape, grapefruit with Campari, pineapple mint, and black fig. [A sad fact of gelateria photography: display cases never seem to photograph well. Must be the glare.]
Capogiro sells their gelato in four sizes: piccolo, mezzo, grande, and by the pint. They’ve developed a fashionable line of containers. Remind me again why I’m writing about containers?
My small cup overflowed with two creamy scoops: honeysuckle and pineapple with Lancaster County meadow mint. Near the green spoon, if you look closely, you can spot a honeysuckle flower. I never knew plantlife could taste so good. Capogiro tends to highlight local, seasonal ingredients, so forget honeysuckle in the fall or winter.
Bacio is a rich blend of chocolate and caramelized hazelnuts. My father wasn’t about to wait for me to take a photo. Thus the spoon damage.
Jane chose this tantalizing combination of Dulce de Leche and Turkish coffee. Look closely and you can see ribbons of Argentine caramel and coffee bean flecks.
I liked Capogiro enough to return two days straight. Only a day later, there were already plenty of fresh options.
Mojito sorbetto was flecked with mint leaves, and the strawberry tequila sorbetto was distinctly liquored-up. Neither scoop lived up to my honeysuckle experience, but Capogiro was worth a return stop.
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