Vicente Todolì's Rare Citrus Collection Inspires New Gelato Flavors

A collaborative project named 'Mara va nei boschi' brings together gelato maker Riccardo Ronchi of Mara dei Boschi, culinary gardener Enrico Costanza, art curator Vicente Todolì, and designer Valentina Gaido to create experimental gelato flavors that explore sustainability and sensory perception. Todolì, former director of Tate Modern and current artistic director of Pirelli HangarBicocca, contributed rare citrus varieties from his Fundació Todolì Citrus, a nonprofit foundation based in Palmera, Valencia, which preserves over 400 citrus varieties for botanical study. Costanza, known for his work at Enrico Crippa's garden in Alba and as a distiller of essential oils, paired the citrus with hydrolats from organic medicinal plants. The resulting flavors include 'Mistico,' combining Limetta di Palestina from the foundation with smoked white sage, as well as Fiordipanna alla Rosa Damascena, Fondente e rosmarino, Fragole e Alloro, and Pelargonio. Ronchi, who transitioned from promoting young artists to opening food venues in Turin, Bologna, and Rome, founded Mara dei Boschi in Turin in 2012, later expanding into coffee roasting. Gaido, of Virgo Mystical Studio, contributed the conceptual design. The project challenges perceptions of taste and memory, emphasizing aromatic recall.