There’s something not quite right, I realise, as my eyes scan the gelateria counter in Certaldo, a small Tuscan hilltop town. “Vanilla, strawberry, pistachio… onion?!” The server, who’s clearly seen this bemused reaction before, grins. “Si,” she exclaims proudly. “È delizioso. Solo qui!”

Perhaps it’s “only here” for a reason – the gelato certainly leaves an unforgettable first impression. The sweet, sharp taste drawn from Certaldo’s signature ingredient elicits the Italian equivalent of a Marmite reaction. People either love or hate it.