yes, the Dolce Evo is a gravel bike. just the Evo, not the other Dolce models. and you're right, the shop is giving you basic info, your sales person may not be very sophisticated. hopefully they can get you properly fitted.

not all drop bar bikes have an equally racy/aggro riding position. a "racing" bike will be the most aggressive. "endurance" bikes will have a less aggro position. gravel bikes are more like the latter. you can look at the geometry chart for comparison... a longer head tube raises the bar relative to the saddle, increasing comfort for long days. gravel bikes like the dolce evo tend to have longer head tubes.

hybrids/flar bar road bikes are listed under "fitness" because they aren't very good for anything else. every bike is a fitness bike, but fitness bikes have limited uses: exercise, commuting, errands. if you want to join fast group rides or charity rides, or do anything off road, then there are better options. even if buying purely for fitness, there are better options... namely anything with drop bars.