At the end of Tyalgum's main street, there's a little piece of Italy waiting behind the counter.

Tyalgum Gelato Shop is the creation of Italian-born gelato maker Valentino Giannoni and his family, bringing the traditions of Vernazza in Italy's Cinque Terre to the green surrounds of the Tweed Valley.

Gelato runs through Valentino's family history. His family has operated gelaterias in Italy, and that heritage now continues from a tiny shop at 15 Coolman Street, where gelato and sorbet are handcrafted for locals and visitors exploring the village.

The flavours are where things get interesting.

Familiar favourites such as chocolate, lemon and macadamia can appear alongside more adventurous creations including red grape sorbet, walnut and caramelised fig and even Dutch liquorice. Ingredients sourced from Australia and Italy allow traditional techniques to meet the produce and personality of Valentino's adopted home.

It's also the setting that makes a scoop here memorable. Tyalgum sits beneath the dramatic landscape of the Tweed hinterland, making the gelato shop an easy addition to a country drive through the villages, farms and rainforest-fringed landscapes surrounding Wollumbin.

There's nothing overly complicated about the experience.

Walk in. See which flavours Valentino has made. Choose one, or spend far too long trying to choose one, and enjoy genuine Italian gelato in a tiny Northern Rivers village thousands of kilometres from where the family tradition began.