Forget ice cream, sorbet or even the beloved Italian gelato -- when Romans swelter in a heatwave, they turn to the traditional "grattachecca".

It may be difficult for non-Italians to pronounce -- think "gratta-kekka" -- but the Roman-style shaved ice is colourful, cheap and refreshing like no other.

In an turn-of-the-century kiosk near the Tiber River, Massimo Crescenzi, 72, was in constant motion one recent weekday in front of a patiently waiting line of clients, whose numbers rarely flag with 37C temperatures scorching the capital.

His wife Rosanna Mariani was behind the scenes at the "Golden Fountain" as the business is named, pulling large blocks of ice out of a freezer, cracking them with a pick into small chunks, and feeding them into a machine.

Her husband then poured the crushe

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