Gelato di Firenze - Ice Cream in Florence - A Map and Advice on Where To Go

As someone who tends to live his life through guidebooks and travel and food websites, relying regularly on the opinions of others, I have learnt to take reviews of gelaterias in Florence with a pinch of salt. Take any gelateria in central Florence that has been around for a year or more and there will be a list of glowing reviews stating 'this is the best gelato in Florence. No, in Italy'. Underneath will be a review that states 'no, this is not as good as it used to be, xxxxxx round the corner is way better now'. (See the Trip Advisor forum on 'Where is the Best Gelato in Florence')

My favourite is a lengthy post on Chowhound about gelato in Florence. Someone visited Cavini on their last day. They got there when it opened and proceeded to eat nearly all of the 40 odd flavours on offer. At the end of this session they declared it to be the best gelateria in Florence. They had been directed to it by a local (read: 'if the locals go there it must be good') and few tourists knew of  it (bingo! the holy grail when looking for good food in Italy!). But really it was just another good gelateria in Florence. There are lots of them. It's no better than the famous Badiani up the road or the other famous ones in central Florence.

It may be that some people can visit a couple of gelaterias in the morning, another couple in the afternoon and more the next day and then order them by merit at the end of the trip. For me, having visited most of the recommended ones, I have eaten mediocre gelato in the same place I have eaten outstanding gelato. Some days it has been pretty ordinary, some days sublime. Is that to do with the gelato? or me? the time of day? or the position of the moon? I don't know. It's the same with wine. One day a particular Chianti will blow me away. Another day the same Chianti will taste dull.

There is no shortage of great gelato here in Florence. In fact, I would say of all the food we eat over here, the gelato is the most consistently good. They may not know how to make bread here, but they certainly know how to make gelato. We are overwhelmed with great ice cream in Forence.

When I drive into Florence I usually park at the mercato Sant'Ambrogio. From here there is a direct route to the Duomo at the center of the city. In the 8 months or so we have been here, three new gelaterias have opened up on this sub-1km route from Sant Ambrogio to the Duomo. It's almost become a gelato trail. As I write, a new one is about to open on piazza dei ciompi to accompany the other 5 already on this straight. Experience tells me it too will be great gelato.

The end of May sees the Firenze Gelato Festival. Almost as if there were room for any more gelato in Florence.

What follows is a list of places to get good gelato with a map. These are places I learnt of from guide books and from our travels in  the city. Some days I will take the baby into town just to visit a gelateria. I don't think I have ever been recommended a place by a local. This city's top food spots have been so well picked over ex-pats and tourists that I don't believe there are any places that only the locals go to any more....

If you are looking for the best gelato in Florence, or the best gelato in Firenze, you could do worse than start with this list. If you have found better gelato in Firenze then let me know.


An Abbreviated List of Good Gelaterias in Florence

Vestri - Vestri is first and foremost a chocolate shop with another branch in Arezzo (and one in Miami!). They do however carry a good selection of gelato and the chocolate gelato here is superb, as is the hot chocolate. It's a nice place to sit and watch the world go by too.


Gelateria Il Sorriso This is one of those places that you can impress your friend and fellow gourmet travellers with. It's out in the suburbs. It has that ace 'no tourists' factor and the all important 'off the beaten track' cache that will impress any less adventurous gastronauts. Joking aside, the gelato is excellent. Though in look and feel the place is a little more scruffy and urban,  the gelato reminded me of Badiani. Again, soft, luxurious, and generous portions. Opposite the COOP, next to a good pizzeria and a tripe stand. Gastrotastic.

Gelateria Cavini Looking a bit run down on the busy car-bound piazza delle Cure, Cavini is cetainly worth a visit. A great range of flavours, some pretty good gelato but not good enough for me to wax lyrical about. Unlike this guy who tried 35 out of the 40 flavours on offer: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/262205 (though this was over 5 years ago).


Gelateria Santa Trinita Just in the oltrano next to the Santa Trinita bridge. Referred to by one friend as, wait for it, 'the best gelateria' in Florence. Obviously it's not!


Gelateria Carabe' This Sicilian gelateria is just down the road from the Academia where Michaelangelo's David lives. For that reason alone it should be one of the most popular gelateria's in Florence. For some reason it's not. It's rarely busy. But it is good. It's small unpretentious, family run. Focus is on Siciallian flavour such as Almond, lemon, pistacchio, but they have your usual, chocolate etc. I have had mediocre gelato from here in winter time when it was really quiet. In the summer, when the turnover is higher then it is consistently good.

Vivoli This is perhaps the most famous gelateria in Florence. Every guidebook and website mentions it. Especially the riso flavour. In fact, the first place we came when we got to Florence was this place. As recommended by my wife who used to bring tour groups here. Is it the best? I don't think so but I have been only twice and have eaten a lot of gelato since. But it's good. In my experience, the staff are surly but that is never a major problem. It is a small, dark, old fashioned looking bar/gelateria and would be easy to miss if it wasn't so busy.

Bar Latteria Tre A The gelato for sale here at the latteria 'Tre A' in the main piazza in Settignano is produced at 'L'Erta Del Bau' This is not fancy, luxurious, or exciting gelato but it is very good. As we pass the latteria in Settignano on the school run, I have eaten more of this gelato than any other in Florence. I think my kids are actually 67% L'Erta Del Bau gelato now. We are very lucky to have such good gelato available in such in an unpreposessing place.

L'Erta Del Bau This gelateria, I think, used to be based in Settignano. Either way, the gelato produced here is available at the latteria 'Tre A' in the main piazza in Settignano. This is not fancy, luxurious, or exciting gelato but it is very good. As we pass the latteria in Settignano on the school run, I have eaten more of this gelato than any other in Florence. I think my kids are actually 67% L'Erta Del Bau gelato now. As a final note, it's worth pointing out that this gelataria is close to the kid friendly Museo Stibbert.

Rivareno Gelateria Rivareno appeared out the blue in early 2010. It has the modernist look of Grom but even more so. However the atmosphere is a little more relaxed and the staff a little friendlier. They are a franchise. The gelato is closer to Badiani's luxurious creaminess than Grom's austere flavour explosion. They seem to serve it a little softer too. Softer (ie. wamer) is good for me as the flavours work better. The mango, morena, blood orange, and chocolate are all excellent. Really, well worth visiting.

Grom - Grom is where things get serious. If you go here to get your gelato then you shouldn't let pleasure get in the way of your intellectual enjoyment on your gelato. The staff here are helpful if you want the perfect flavour combination or details on the ingredients. But it always feels a bit joyless to me. The gelato is, of course, top notch. The salted caramel is wonderful but you get the impression that your opinion is of limited importance to them. Grom is a chain but the they work very hard not to compromise on the quality of their gelato. They even have a store in NYC now.

Festival del Gelato - Festival del Gelato is the toy shop of gelaterias in Florence. If you've got young kids bring them here. They have a huge range of gelato made with chocolate (candy) bars, nutella, different fruits, they have waffles too.

Perche' No - Perche' No has a Slow Food sticker in the window. It aspires to Slow Food ideals. Quality ingredients, no mass production. It's gelato is excellent with some interesting flavours. I like the chocolate and rum. I also had a great cheesecake their. Their pistacchio is excellent too. The shop is small and the staff are friendly.

Gelateria Badiani  - This, to me, is the queen of the gelaterias in Florence. The gelato is wonderful. It tastes decadent, rich, and expensive. The shop makes you feel under-dressed when you go into it. The staff are impeccably turned-out and not particularly friendly. But the gelato is luxurious.

Gelateria dei Neri - This place is often listed as one of the best, if not the best gelateria in Florence. I've only been once and was not that impressed. It was good but not great. But that may be because I was tired and cold or it was the wrong time of day, or I picked the wrong flavour. Or maybe the moon was in the wrong place.....

Mordilatte - This gelateria has opened up just down the road from where we live. It opened two days after I wrote this post. Initial impressions after our first visit for a free tasting were good. Rich and well made. A bit too cold though! They were having trouble serving it....

My Map of Good Gelaterie in Florence
[Those I know or want to know as of May 2010]

View I Gelati di Firenze in a larger map



More Info and Links:

Part way through compiling this list I came across this top 10 gelaterias in Florence.
Then Faith Willinger's piece: http://www.faithwillinger.com/travel/florentine-gelato-crawl
And of course Judy aka Divina Cucina also has a page: http://www.divinacucina.com/newsletter13.html

There are of course loads of online discussions about gelato in Florence:
 Chowhound: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/262205
 Trip Advisor: http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g187895-i68-k592000-Where_is_the_best_Gelato_in_Florence-Florence_Tuscany.html
The Food Section: http://www.thefoodsection.com/foodsection/2004/06/firenze_summer_.html
Virtual tourist: http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/tt/6d48e/#TL

The Fat and The Fattoria of the Land

Sometimes, life in Italy can be awkward. Like when you invite some Italians over for lunch. You warn them that it will be an English style Sunday roast. You present them with some roast pork; it doesn’t have crackling; it is 30% fat and then you completely fail to carve it properly. They explain to you that you are doing it all wrong and that you should have cut your joint up into chops and that you can by a suckling pig at the central market.

In England, you cock up your Sunday roast and your guests say: ‘No, this is lovely. Thanks ever so much.’ Not until they leave and are out of earshot would they pass comment on your inability to serve them a proper meal. Maybe honesty is a good thing. Sometimes it is unwelcome.

To be fair to myself and to my guests, it was perhaps a little risky to pre-order a piece of meat, from a breed of pig I hadn’t cooked with before, without having seen it. But it was all part of a bigger plan (and a bigger meat order). To go back to Chianti; to meet my Twitter buddy Ray; to see his pigs and to buy his pork. Sunday lunch was always going to be an afterthought.

Twitter has been good to me over here. Tips on sightseeing and tourism, cooking advice, banter with other English speakers (something in very short supply outside the house). It keeps me connected to the UK and it helps me navigate my way through daily Tuscan life. And Twitter led me to Ray.

Ray has a large estate in Chianti just outside the town of Castellina. Way back when, he set up Tuscan Enterprises, a villa rental agency, from there and now he also runs his estate where he raises the traditional Tuscan pig: the Cinta Senese. He turns this pork into delicious salume, he grows olives for oil and produces very good Chianti too.

On our arrival, the beautiful location was at its best with a clear blue sky; the remnants of the previous week’s snow-fall adding interest for the kids. Ray was waiting for us and his wife, Rita, had prepared prosciutto, salami, oil and bread for tasting.

After baby feeding and chat, Ray took me into the ‘laboratorio’ (an Italian word used for most small food production premises as well as craft workshops) the building where his pigs are butchered and the cured products are made. From the outside it had the appearance of an old stables block but inside were very modern climate controlled curing rooms and a spotless butchery.

He led me around these rooms showing me hams and salamis at different stages of production. All walls clad in hygienic plastic that I know well from the smokery. Despite its history and rustic image, nearly all salami and ham are cured in these very modern surroundings nowadays. Environmental legislation dictates it. Even with no one working there, we weren’t allowed to go into the main meat processing area lest it be contaminated.

The main ingredients or these products are reared a stones throw away. The piglets and younger pigs are housed in 2 barns where they are kept under a watchful eye until they are ready to be released out into the outdoor rearing areas. So we went to see the mums and their squeaky and timid piglets keeping warm under IR lamps.

Outside, the ground was rocky, wet, and muddy; the few pigs we saw seemed content splodging around under the oak trees. Though Ray explained that they don’t like the wet very much. 

The photo is of Pippo who Ray told us liked to show off by walking over rocky areas that were particularly hazardous and uncomfortable for them.

The Cinta Senese is a rare breed or heritage breed that was bred back from near extinction in the late 90s. It has a black coat with a white saddle or ‘cinta’. In the UK we have saddlebacks and Essex pigs that look a little like them. There is lots more info on Ray’s site.

Returning to the old farmhouse, we were treated to an assaggiare of prosciutto, salami, oil, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic shoots, aubergines in oil, and good bread. This was accompanied by the three wines that are produced from the farm. Conversation and wine flowed. The prosciutto was sweet and fatty, tender and delicious. So too the salami and the soft, fatty finochiona that came home in the car with me and which has disappeared quickly.

Although we spent most of our time their talking about the products and the farm, I never got round to asking Ray why he ran the farm and raised the pigs. He told me there was little or no money in it. This is something that I have heard from another Tuscan farmer and a story not uncommon in the UK. Though Ray doesn’t appear as to be a wide-eyed idealist who is striving for that mythical old Tuscan simplicity.

Despite having been here for 6 months, I am very much a novice on Italian salume but I think I am beginning to understand the difference between good and bad. I know that the better finocciona over here is very soft and that my favourite hams are sweeter. Beyond that I am need of education I think.

Over here in Italy I am regularly confronted with walls or racks full of hams and salumi. I find the choice overwhelming and confusion reigns when choosing what to buy. Having a plate presented to you, ready sliced, with no choice allows you to forget about the selection process and to concentrate on the flavour and the texture. Which is what I did at Ray’s and was well rewarded.

After a long and easy chat over the wine and salume, we packed up the kids and headed off over the Tuscan hills. Back home, I unwrapped my meat purchases and was presented with a very fat loin of pork, a piece of guanciale, an uncured pig jowl, a whole finochiona, and heaps of sausages. A true pork fest.

You know what happened to the loin. The jowl was cooked for about 8 hours and is currently maturing in a kind of fatty, 5spicey, appley sludge destined for some fat noodles. The guanciale has been started and will likely last me until we move out of here. The finochiona has almost all gone.

And, the sausages? Well, see for yourself:

To Beef or Not To Beef or a Trip to find Dario Cechhini of Panzano - "The Most Famous Butcher in The World"

Our second journey into the heart of the Chianti region was again accompanied by a continuous drizzle of rain. The road from Florence to Greve (and on to Panzano) is not generally pretty in this weather though the vista, when glimpsed thorough the low-lying clouds, was mistily glorious. And it got better the further we drive away from Florence. Those famous rolling hills dotted with the ancient farmhouses of wealthy Brits. Like a browner, less green Cotswolds. A bit. Sort of.

For Dr B’s birthday I had planned a trip to the world famous butcher Dario Cecchini’s restaurant for a Mac Dario. His riposte to the world of fast food. We arrived early, working on the assumption that any world famous butcher would be overrun with likeminded tourists vying to touch the hem of his butcher’s apron.

His butchers' shop is the Tuscan culinary equivalent of Big Ben. Since hitting the headlines with his funeral for the bistecca he has appeared on Anthony Bourdain’s tv series, Gary Rhodes’ tv series, and had a large section of Bill Buford’s great book Heat given over to him. As well as numerous article in the press and online. In short, he is very well known outside of his native country and there aren’t many butchers you can say that about.

On entering his shop we were immediately made welcome with small tumblers of wine, crostini, finnochiona, and fettunta. The equivalent of those small plates of cut up sausages that you get back home. With, perhaps, just a touch more culinary grace.

In the counter of the beautifully preserved and tiled shop were (vacuum packed) packs of beef*, the famous and delicious burro del Chianti, on a butcher’s block was Dario’s porchetta and through a glass door we could see whole hind legs of the famous Spanish beef he imports. (Whilst we chatted, an Italian and a Canadian man started shouldering these great trunks of beef into a van. Apparently a lot of work happens at a 'laboratorio' elsewhere in the town).

When the friendly staff realised we were here primarily to eat, we were whisked up a staircase to the Officina. Here the open grill fire was being lit and fuelled by old vines (not, unfortunately for our lunch) and the long table was set for lunch. On the table were ‘Il Profumo Del Chianti’ (a flavoured salt), and some squeezy bottles containing a mustard sauce, a tomato sauce, and a sweet chilli sauce. The latter made by Judy.

The menu for lunch is simple. There are two options: the Mac Dario or the Accoglienza (which loosely translates as ‘the reception’ or welcome). We plumped for a Mac Dario but when we saw the Accoglienze we ordered one of those to share too. I mean it would have been an insult to the man and to his meat not to try everything. Wouldn't it?

The burger, like nearly all burgers over here, was served without a bun. (Which is obviously very wrong). But it wasn’t totally Atkins approved as it was coated in breadcrumbs before frying. It came with beautifully flavoured roast potatoes, soft red onions, and some salad. The burger was rare and had a great beefy flavour. Not in the mold of your traditional US style, but wonderfully tender and flavourful.

The Mac Dario

The Accoglienza was, inevitably, a more interesting and varied affair. Along with Dario’s well known and frankly awesome ‘sushi del chianti’ and his ‘tonno del chianti’ was his porchetta, and his cosimino (basically a meat loaf). Along with this came the joyous sight of a bowl of raw vegetables to eat with oil, vinegar, and the ‘Profumo’. Having been in Tuscany for 6 months now, I was enraptured by this bowl of raw, undressed vegetables. I love celery and carrots and being given a mound to chomp my way through was actually a real pleasure in what soon became a table landscaped with meat.

We thought the porchetta was a little dry and the meatloaf pretty ordinary but the sushi was wonderful and the tonno was great too. If you go, order a burger and the Accoglienza to share. It’ll be more than enough.

tonno del chianti

After we had filled every last nook and cranny of our digestive systems with meat we strolled through the drizzle up to the old part of the town. Here was another butcher’s shop and no doubt close by were some sage Tuscans nodding knowingly at the tourists and remarking that Dario’s was no longer the best butcher in Panzano and that actually this lesser known one was in fact a lot better. A trait that appears to be as common to Florence as it does to the UK. 

When lightly soaked by the persistent Chiantishire rain, we walked back down Dario’s to do some shopping and the fun began again when Dr B and our friends T’Una engaged Dario in some light-hearted conversation.

'to beef or not to beef'

Dr B made it pretty clear to Dario that his views on British palates (which went something along the lines of: ‘well you can’t eat horseradish with beef, because you can’t drink wine with horseradish. And anyway you Brits don’t really understand wine’) were somewhat misguided. But he didn't budge.

There then ensued a lively discussion that covered ‘Slow Food’ (‘a religion’ – Dario is not a member), MacDonalds, favoured restaurants in Florence (of the two he mentioned Ruth’s vegetarian raised some eyebrows), Alice Waters, and Michael Pollan.

Interspersed with this chat, Dario occasionally pulled down books from his collection on the shelves of the shop and opened them to pages with photos of himself. Dario with Prince Charles (whom he refused to bow to); Dario in Jamie’s Italy; Dario with Alice Waters. And of course he did utter the immortal 'to beef or not to beef' phrase. A man of poetry as well as of butchery.

He seemed like very good company, from the little I could understand and from the reaction of the Italian speakers amongst us. He is a man who is obviously very passionate about what he does. He is also a man who likes to have fun and knows that his big personality is a financial asset. But without products to back up his profile he would disappear from our books, tv, and magazines quickly.

He is of course a showman, a celebrity, an opinionated man but he produces great food. The burro del Chianti I brought home is wonderful and the peposo notturno was just superb. There is little doubt we'll be heading back soon for more of everything.

[ * One thing that was not evident in his counter was raw, unadulterated, un-packed meat. This meant that choosing what to buy was not as straightforward as in a normal butchers. I dare say if I'd asked for a specific cut he could have provided it for me. Also, vacuum packing beef is is frowned upon back in England as it is thought to squeeze much of the moisture from the meat.]

Further reading here

In the Guardian here.

La Fettunta

La Fettunta as someone kindly pointed out to me means 'oily slices' though it could also mean 'annointed slices' which sounds more appetising. Yesterday the employees of Villa i Tatti along with some of their families were invited to what was called 'La Fettunta'. Ostensibly it was a lunch to celebrate the arrival of the 'olio nuovo' - something I hadn't heard of before arriving here - but was also an event for those employees who don't usually get to eat much of what comes out of the I Tatti kitchens.

Although bottles of oil were available for us to pour onto our slices of bread, the main attraction (for me at least) were the large platters and pans conatining the hot food and the porchetta. It was a cold day and we were eating outside so the steaming ribollita and pappa al pomodoro were very welcome. I'd missed the actual barbecuing of the meat but there was plenty left for me to overdose on. Tuscan sausage, chicken portions, and the ribs that are very common around these parts. All coated in salt - a seasoning missing in their bread but made up for in virtually everything else. [And it's so cheap! 11 cents for a kilo of sea salt in our local supermarket].

The ribs are grilled unadorned (salt excepted), so the finished product is a gnaw off the bone experience as opposed to the US style where the meat falls from the bone. Still good nonetheless.

A large part of the fettunta is to say thank you to the non academic staff of the Villa. So the gardeners, cleaners, and construction workers were all there and tucking in. Bottles of I Tatti's Colli Chianti and plastic cups were rested on tractor trailers and much oil sloshed over the bread.

As I said, all the meat had finished cooking by the time I arrived but the fires were still warm and bread was put on to toast. Garlic cloves were provided for rubbing on it before the oil was poured to annoint it.

The limbless pig you can see in the picture is (a/the) porchetta. I'll put my hands up and say I knew nothing of porchetta before coming to Florence. Even though I had visited Tuscany twice before. Back home in Cambridge my friends at the Art of Meat prepare a cut of pork that they call porchetta. Really it is more like 'arista' a skinless rolled loin seasoned with chilli, rosemary, fennel, and garlic. Here, it is basically a small pig with everything except bones and limbs.

The real porchetta is described thus in the Oxford Companion to Italian Food:

Porchetta is the name of a whole boned and roast young pig, of about 50 kilos, a speciality of central Italy, and much loved in Umbria and Lazio, where it is sold from stalls at fairs and festivals. The skin is singed, scalded, and shaved, and the pig boned, the carcass seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic, and wild fennel, then stuffed with its prepared entrails, sewn up, roasted slowly in a wood fired bread oven, and usually eaten cold.

The ones I have seen have had no legs, which are presumably removed to make hams and sausages. I've eaten quite a bit since getting here. The best (and most expensive - €25/Kg) I had was from the Mercato Sant Ambrogio.  The one in the pics wasn't the best I have eaten but it was good and it was the first time I had eaten some of the liver from inside which was obviously a treat.

Towards the end of proceedings people started to take clean plates up with the intention of taking some of the beast home. I inevitably had to join the queue and was given a good chunk to feast on for lunch today.

It was a great lunch time gathering in a cold but beautiful part of the world. I just wish it could have continued a little longer into the afternoon. But apparently some people have to work. Who'd a thunk it?