Pidapipo Are Serving Free Gelato Tonight

It's been an amazing six months for gelato in Melbourne. Not only were we treated to the work of those artisnal stalwarts at Messina, but we also had the treat of meeting Pidapipó — a test lab run in Carlton run by the gelato pro Lisa Valmorbida. But all good things must come to an end, and it's with a heavy heart we say, today marks the last day of business for Pidapipó's Faraday Street store.

But they're sure as heck not going out quietly. In glorious everything-must-go style, Pidapipó is offering free gelato tonight from 9pm-11pm. In what they call The Last Lick, this much-loved gelateria will be slingin' free scoops while partying with DJs (and, let's be honest, a million local ice-cream lovers).

If you haven't yet tried out this Carlton gem, there's no better time (and no available alternative) than the present. With wall decor designed by local artist Esther Stewart, Pidapipó is a hub of summery good times. Bright colours create a visual feast and provide a suitably vibrant background for gelato flavours like pistachio (imported from Italy), swirled raspberry coulis, lavender and lemon sorbetto and ouzo and Vietnamese mint.

But don't fret just yet. Pidapipó's Faraday Store may be closing, but it was always just a test lab for something larger. Lisa Valmorbida will in fact be bringing the store back into a permanent location this September. In the interim, Valmorbida will be heading overseas to do more gelati research (the absolute best kind of research). The permanent store should be an exciting combo of everything she learnt while attending Carpigiani Gelato University in Italy, as well as things picked up over the last year.

If that was all a little TL;DR, here's the abridged version: free gelato tonight from 9pm-11pm at Pidapipó. Bid the team a fond farewell but don't worry, it's not the last you'll be seeing of them.

Pidapipó is located at 222 Faraday Street, Carlton (near the corner of Lygon Street). We highly recommend getting there on time.