Artisanal gelato, that quintessential frozen treat, has lately joined the ranks of Ligurian pesto and Neapolitan pizza as an Italian cultural treasure. It wasn’t always that way.

After World War II, the success of industrially made ice cream came close to wiping out small family-run gelaterie. Just in time, Audrey Hepburn’s character in the 1953 movie Roman Holiday was shown savoring a cone from the venerable parlor Giolitti on the Spanish Steps, boosting the profile of traditional gelato globally.