Fuente del Gelador

The Fuente del Gelador, also known as the monument to the Geladors, stands in a square in central Ibi, dedicated to the memory of the artisan ice-cream makers who left town to work across Spain and, in some cases, beyond its borders. It is the work of Galician sculptor Maxín Picallo, carved in 1990 from black granite quarried at Moraña, in Galicia.

A travelling trade

Through the figure of a family of ice-cream makers, the monument represents the ups and downs of that itinerant trade, practised by generations of people from Ibi. The collective brand "La Ibense" was, for decades, a mark of quality among ice-cream makers from the town, who turned Ibi into a reference point for artisan ice cream alongside its reputation as a toy-making centre.

What to see

The dark stone sculpture, with its clean lines, can be viewed from any angle of the square where it stands. Every February, timed to the preparation of the season, ice-cream makers from Ibi and elsewhere celebrate the trade in the town. Visitors who want to go further into this tradition can follow the signposted gelador route through the countryside around Ibi, or look out for the old snow wells where ice was once stored before electric refrigeration.

Access is free at any time of day. The monument sits a short walk from other points in the historic centre, such as the Iglesia de la Transfiguración del Señor and the Museo Valenciano del Juguete, which together make up a walking route around Ibi.