That's how Topolino is made, the ice cream that stirs passions in Cádiz since the 50s

It is one of the emblems of the city of Cádiz. The Topolino has been part of the heart of the busy and elegant street Ancha since the 1950s, where, regardless of the time of day or night, there are always people at the door of the Salón Italiano, also known as Los Italianos. The star of the counter is an ice cream in the shape of a waffle or cone crowned with a ball of cream covered with a layer of hot chocolate that, when cooled, becomes crispy.

Locals and visitors alike know this well, and they are curious to try this bite that is served in this establishment, located next to San Antonio square. In this place, an Italian couple, Arturo Campo and Iola Mosena, opened their ice cream business in 1940. They had tried their luck in Madrid, where they arrived in 1936, from Forno di Zoldo, in northern Italy, to set up an ice cream parlor on Fuencarral street.

Shortly after, the Civil War broke out and they had to close until the conflict ended in 1939. By then, someone had told them about Cádiz, a small port city in southern Spain, with narrow streets and short distances, and they decided to try their luck. The Madrid business was left in the hands of a family member. In 1940, they opened a showy lounge on Ancha street, one of the arteries of the historic center.

The premises, which occupied the old site of a bank called Los Previsores del Porvenir, had tables where customers could taste the ice creams. There they began offering six varieties. A real revolution for the time, recalls Joaquín Campo, 50, a native of Cádiz, grandson of the founders, and manager of the establishment.