With warmer weather just around the corner, many Victorians are hopeful they will be able to head to the coast, enjoying an ice cream while soaking up the sunset on the horizon.

Having opened Gelato Lab in Black Rock, on the Mornington Peninsula, Lamberto Spighi is eager to welcome visitors into his gelateria as soon as possible.

Born in the charming Italian town of Cattolica, on the Adriatic Coast, and raised in the nearby city of Forlì, Spighi migrated to Australia in 2017.

“I had an excellent job as a thermal technician for industrial equipment and boilers, which allowed me to travel internationally, as I spoke some English,” he said in an interview with Rete Italia.

“Travelling around the world opened my mind.”

When he was 29 years old, just within the age range to qualify for a working holiday visa, Spighi decided to head to Australia and join a friend who was already living in Queensland.

“I arrived in Brisbane on April 1, 2017, and in the spirit of April Fools’ Day, I lost my luggage,” he said.

“I found myself alone in a foreign country with just the clothes on my back; it wasn’t a great start but it helped me to respond to unexpected situations.”

Once his working holiday visa was up, Spighi completed the farm work that many migrants opt for in order to renew their visas.

“I went to Stanthorpe, in the mountains, where I picked apples and other fruit on a third-generation Italo-Australian farm,” he said.

“The work was hard but I felt at home there and I played football with my then-boss, who has Sicilian heritage.”

Working tirelessly seven days a week, Spighi saved up enough money to buy a car and explore Australia’s northeast, from Brisbane to Byron Bay.

He then decided on a job change.

“I went to work in the mines, a world that has always fascinated me,” he said.

“I worked in Mackay, on the coast, and then in Mount Isa.”

Spighi then returned to his profession as an industrial expert, taking a job opportunity in Melbourne.

“I felt something inside me saying: ‘You absolutely have to go down to Melbourne’,” he said.

“So, I jumped on a plane in the blink of an eye.”

The stars aligned for Spighi, and he was able to gain sponsorship and become a permanent resident thanks to his new role as a service technician in Melbourne.

Since then, Spighi has created a circle of new friends that he considers his community.

With the help and support of his friends, he embarked on his latest business venture.

“I’ve always had a passion for ice cream,” he said.

“In Romagna, gelaterie pop up like mushrooms and, as a good romagnolo, I’m a foodie.

“Thanks to a friend who had some experience, I convinced myself to embark on a new adventure and open Gelato Lab to bring that touch of Italianness that was still missing in the Mornington Peninsula.”

Having found the perfect location, near the beach and in a quiet area, Spighi and his team transformed it into a gelateria, renovating it in their spare time and on the weekends.

Spighi’s ice creams are exceptionally artisanal, made with high-quality seasonal ingredients and with no additives or food dyes.

Flavours that have become early favourites include Belgian chocolate, pistachio produced with Bronte pistachios, the classic stracciatella, and sorbets such as pear, pineapple, mango and passionfruit.

Spighi uses Italian machinery, which is locally sourced second-hand.

He said the idea to open a gelateria was a product of the first long lockdown last year.

“People still have to eat in lockdown and ice cream is the most classic take-away product,” he added.

Spighi still works in the industrial sector during the day, dedicating himself to the gelateria in the evening.

The budding businessman said he is eager to work exclusively in the gelateria this summer.

“I enjoy being able to sell everyone a piece of happiness,” he concluded.