In San Gimignano’s Piazza della Cisterna, the cobblestones lead you to a small gelateria with a line that often stretches out the door. Here, Sergio Dondoli has been serving handcrafted gelato at Gelateria Dondoli since 1992, each scoop a reflection of his creativity and love for the craft. Now, his story takes center stage in Sergio Dondoli’s Happy Life, an award-winning documentary set for worldwide release on August 19.
Over the years, Sergio has turned his San Gimignano gelato shop into a world stage, winning the Ice Cream World Championship twice and bringing home two Ice Cream World Cup titles as part of Team Italy. His inventive creations have impressed judges time and again. Now, the accolades extend beyond the kitchen. Happy Life has collected honors from major international film festivals.
“The film has won several major festival awards, including Best Feature Documentary at the 2025 East Village New York Film Festival and Best Documentary at the 2025 Red Movie Awards (Winter Edition). It was also named Best Indie Feature at the 2024 Los Angeles Film Awards and received honors for Best Food Film and Best Biographical Feature Film at the 2024 World Film Festival in Cannes.”
Directed by Jay Arnold, the film is as much about a life well lived as it is about frozen desserts. Tuscany serves as the backdrop for Dondoli’s journey. The camera follows him from his early days in hospitality to becoming one of the world’s most celebrated gelato artisans.
“Sergio's journey from a modest upbringing to gelato master is incredibly inspiring,” Arnold says. “But it was his high regard for the environment, the cows that provide milk, and his commitment to the use of organic, whole foods, that moved me so deeply. In a sense, the film is very much a story of love.”
From Hotel Reception to Gelato Legend
Dondoli’s introduction to gelato came later than one might expect.
“In Montecatini Terme, I never imagined I would one day open a gelato shop,” he recalls. “I was working reception at a hotel and I saw gelato for the first time but my love for gelato came much later, in my early twenties, when I was in Germany and I tasted a vanilla crème gelato with egg, chocolate, sauce, and a black cherry inside. I fell in love.”
That love deepened as he traveled across Europe, tasting, learning, and experimenting. When he eventually opened Gelateria Dondoli, his aim was simple - create flavors that told stories.
Flavors with a Past
Dondoli’s flavors often come from deeply personal memories.
“We have 11 trademarked flavors. I get many of my ideas from memories of my younger years. Like my Zabaione gelato. When I was a little boy, I was sick in bed and my grandmother made me a Zabaione: a light, creamy custard made by whisking together egg yolks, sugar, and a sweet wine. In Italy, young children drink wine. It was delicious and so as an adult, I aimed to recreate that taste into a gelato. Today, it’s one of our most popular flavors!.”
Other inspirations come from San Gimignano itself - saffron, rosemary, lavender - ingredients that thrive in the Tuscan climate. “Lavender is in every garden in San Gimignano,” he says. “When I was younger the smell of lavender was important because it made everything smell better and calmer.”
The Land and the Cows
For Dondoli, great gelato starts with respect for the ingredients and where they come from.
“At about the same time I opened my shop, I heard about a farmer who had opened a new kind of farm in San Gimignano. It was a biodynamic farm and I was curious to learn what made the farm different. I visited the farm and was surprised to see that the cows lived a natural life. They were allowed to roam free, graze from the earth, raise their young. They were happy cows! I began using the milk in my gelato and wouldn’t you know, the gelatos tasted better. Happy cows produce the best milk.”
He also insists on organic fruit grown locally, even when it costs more. “The benefits, both health-wise and taste-wise, make it more than worth it.”
Happiness in a Cup
The film shows the joy Dondoli finds in his work.
“I am fascinated by how a small cup of gelato can make people incredibly happy. It’s proof that happiness can be bought with almost no money.”
That philosophy has carried him through decades of scooping, innovating, and winning. He has earned two Ice Cream World Championships and two Ice Cream World Cup titles with Team Italy, along with countless other honors.
Always Moving Forward
Despite the accolades, Dondoli never stands still.
“Every prize I win makes me think I have to do even better. My customers trust me and it is important that I keep their trust, even when I’m not in the shop. These days, I do a lot of consulting. I’m opening shops around the world including a new shop in NYC. Luckily, my children are there to run the shop now and they care as much as I do about the quality of our gelato.”
Seasonal Pleasures
In the summer, the gelateria enjoys seasonal fruit.
“I love all fruit flavors. They’re dairy free and fat free with few calories and the fruit changes weekly. Right now, we’re serving white peach gelato. Last week, it was strawberry.”
Autumn brings richer notes. “We’ll have mango and passion fruit, but also more cream flavors like vanilla bean and chocolate. We’ll have five selections of decadent chocolate flavors to take us into winter.”
Happy Life is more than a film about food. It is a story of a man whose joy comes from sharing what he loves, and whose gelato tells the story of his land, his family, and his life. As Rich Wolff, CEO of Breaking Glass Pictures, puts it, “You can’t watch Happy Life without smiling. You can watch the documentary here. For more information, follow Dondoli on Instagram.
For those who want to bring a taste of Gelateria Dondoli home, here is Sergio’s recipe for his beloved Zabaione gelato:
Zabaione Vinsanto Gelato
4
servings30
minutes2
hoursIngredients
2 1/8 cups 2 1/8 Whole milk
1/2 cup 1/2 Heavy cream
5 5 Egg yolks
2/3 cup 2/3 Granulated sugar
1 tsp 1 Cornstarch (or other cream stabilizer)
1/3 tsp 1/3 Salt
7 1/3 tbsp 7 1/3 Vin Santo
Directions
- Prep & chill. Put a metal mixing bowl in the fridge to chill. Measure ingredients precisely. Have your ice bath ready.
- Beat yolks + sugar. In the chilled bowl whisk the egg yolks with the granulated sugar until pale and slightly thickened (ribbon stage). This is the zabaione start.
- Warm the milk mix. In a saucepan, combine the milk, cream, stabilizer (if using), and salt. Warm gently, until the liquid is noticeably warm — you don’t need it boiling. (This helps dissolve the powders so they mix smoothly when added to the eggs.)
- Temper and combine. Slowly pour the warm milk mixture over the whipped yolks while whisking constantly (tempering) to avoid scrambling. Once mixed, return the combined mixture to the saucepan.
- Cook to pasteurize — 83 °C. Cook the combined custard over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a silicone spatula (or whisk) and using a digital thermometer. Heat it to 83 °C (181 °F). At that temperature, the custard thickens and is safely pasteurized. Remove from heat as soon as it hits 83 °C.
- Add the Vin Santo and rest. Off the heat, stir in the Vin Santo until fully incorporated. Cover and let the base mature in the refrigerator for several hours (3/4 hours) to let flavors meld and the mixture fully cool. Sergio specifically notes adding the Vin Santo after cooking and allowing the base to mature.
- Churn. After the base is thoroughly chilled, strain it through a fine sieve into your ice-cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions until it reaches a soft-serve/gelato texture.
- Harden & finish. Transfer the churned gelato to a shallow freezer container, cover, and harden in the freezer for at least 2–4 hours before serving. When you serve, sprinkle with Cantuccini crumbs that have been briefly soaked in Vin Santo (or crumble plain Cantuccini on top).
Notes
- Optional garnish: Cantuccini (Tuscan almond biscotti) — for sprinkling; soak a few in Vin Santo and crumble over each serving.
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