This is the time of year when any good Irishman’s thoughts turn towards home and what a pleasant and wonderful land that it is. The weather reports tell me that temperatures have reached the late teens and it is, of course, raining a little. Normally this would send a shiver down my spine as I unconsciously turn up the collar of my jacket, but not at the beginning of July. At the beginning of July my jacket is retired for the foreseeable future, and it is tee shirts only. And for us, from the north-west regions of Europe, this is the problem in Malta. Aahh: the heat, the heat.

Unfortunately most of us are genetically incapable of enjoying high temperatures and Malta can be a struggle at this time of the year. Not an unpleasant struggle, but a challenge nonetheless. Which is why I am delighted to be writing to you from one of my very favourite places. On Corso dei Mille in Palermo there is the wonderful Gelateria Ciccio Adelfio and it is always my first port of call on reaching Palermo, being nicely close to Palermo Centrale station and involving but a short downhill stroll. Every visit I am mesmerized by the heaped trays of ice cream, glistening under the lights in a truly dazzling display of colour and flavours.

As so I am now sitting outside, ice cream in hand, showing my age; I am producing these words in the time honoured fashion. For those of you of a younger disposition, that means scribbling on paper with a pen.

You may notice that there are no ice cream stains on the page and this is thanks to the wonderful invention of the “ice cream burger”. When first I saw this particular method of eating it, I was appalled. Such wonderful ice cream ruined by being placed inside a piece of bread like a burger bun. I should have known better, and having tried it I can see it is one of the great inventions of Italy. Were I eating a cone in this heat, the rapidly melting treat would indeed be dribbling down my arm and on to the page. Here, the bread soaks up the wonderful nectar and saves it for the final glorious mouthful. And the Sicilians can wave their arms in their normal manner without fear of spillage.

This was not a problem in my salad days. I recall as a little boy being introduced to ice cream, north-west corner of Ireland style. It came in two types, a “slider” and a “poke” and one flavour: Belfast Linen. It certainly came in that colour, often having as little taste, and there was no chance of it melting down your arm in twenty degrees. Nowadays the poke and the slider are but a distant memory on the streets of Belfast and the influence of the Italians has made the ice cream shop a much more colourful and exciting experience.

But for all the improvements, they will never match the Italian Gelateria. Only in Italy has the humble gelato been raised to an art form. It is not just something to cool you down on a hot day, it is an experience. As I sit here on the pavement, the street is almost blocked by the sea of scooters and cars, parked by the throng of scantily dressed Sicilians, meeting and greeting over a gelato. I say parked, but this is Palermo, so you can image the chaos. The meeting spills across the street and mingles in with the Gelateria on the opposite pavement. Buses and traffic pick their way through the crowd and nobody minds. The day is beautiful, so are the people and so is the gelato.

A thought suddenly occurs: The Magic Box is paying its long overdue homage to Italian ice cream soon. A quick phone call to Malta confirms and alters my travel plans.

‘Yes, it’s this month’ confirms Dr Anna Porcheddu, ‘the Magic Box is welcoming Fabio Ferretti of Piacere Mio.’    

Fabio Ferretti of Piacere Mio! I know this place, it’s on Bay Street in St Julians; I had a very nice lunch there recently. They make their own pasta and afterwards we were offered their own home-made ice cream. I chose two scoops and being my usual decisive self, told the pleasant waiter to pick any two. He arrived with a mint and a chocolate, which was so deeply rich and dark it was almost black. Chased by a splendid macchiato, it was divine.

Fabio Ferretti is from the Bologna area and is no stranger to ice cream, indeed who from that area is? As mentioned he operates from his restaurant, Piacere Mio, where he makes his own ice cream on the premises, so he is well qualified to gives us the low down on gelato.             

He will be talking about all things ice cream, its history and production and hopefully a few little tips on making something special at home. Questions are as ever encouraged and I can imagine they will be plentiful.

One of the nice parts of the evening is, as always, the chance to have an informal chat afterwards with a glass of wine and a little something. It’s a great chance to buttonhole Fabio, and try a winkle out a few special secrets of the art. I have no doubt there will be a queue.

Being The Magic Box, it happens on the second Tuesday of the month at 6.30pm. If you haven’t been there yet, you will be made very welcome by Anna and Salvatore; they are always delighted to meet new friends at the Institute.

It’s July, this is the last Magic box of the season and being on such a scrumptious topic I expect a large turnout. You have been warned. Get the diary out, open for this week and fill it in: Tuesday 8th July, 6.30pm, Italian Cultural Institute, St George’s Square, Valletta.

If you get there early and find two large gentlemen with tongues lolling, sitting eagerly at the front, it will just be Dr Salvatore Schirmo and I. No need to send for a doctor.

Now if only I was writing this on my laptop, I could get onto Ryanair now: Trapani to Luqa flies on Monday evening.