Gelato! Sweet, sweet, gelato! My motto while in Italy was "a gelato a day keeps the doctor away" and it is no lie that I had a piccolino treat every day - sometimes for lunch! To be fair - there were so many delicious flavors to try, I just couldn't skip a day. There are many opinions about which gelaterias serve the best gelato in the city, but the most fun is that you can try what you want and make your own list! After trying gelato from over a dozen shops in Florence, I made my own personal list of my top 5 favorite gelaterias.
I will share one important tip that I learned when I first visited Italy - don't be fooled by the shops that have their gelato display towering high in the doorway. Usually this means that the gelato was made with more preservatives and air to give it that mountainous shape. Authentic gelato is served in metal containers, often times with lids! If you can't see it - go with it! ;)
Here are my top 5 picks. I would love to hear yours!
La Carraia in Santa Croce
This shop made my top 10 Florence list, and it is number one this list for good reason. It was delizioso. Don't get me wrong, I love a classic flavor like pistachio (pronounced pis-ta-key-oh) and stracciatella, but what made La Carraia in Santa Croce stand out was the "untraditional flavors" available. It felt like an invitation to be a little bit more adventurous in my order. My go-to: orange and chocolate: the perfect combo!
La Strega Nocciola
My favorite gelato flavor of all time is stracciatella, and I used this particular flavor to measure how much I liked each gelateria. I have to say La Strega Nocciola's version of it was incredible! To me, what makes a good stracciatella is the cream-to-chocolate ratio (perfect), how rich the chocoalte is (delicious), and whether there is a funky after taste (there was none)! This gelateria has a few locations in the city, with one being right around the corner from the Duomo, so if you're around one of them, stop in to try it for yourself!
Gelateria Edoardo Piazza Duomo
Speaking of gelato near the Duomo, Gelateria Edoardo Piazza Duomo is an excellent choice! Upon my very extensive gelato research, this often made the list of top in the city, so I had to try it, as any gelato enthusiast would. ;) It's actually the first certified organic gelateria in Tuscany, which piqued my interest. Do you see how light in color the pistachio flavor is - absolutely divine! Plus, the views here are unbeatable.
Perché No
Try another gelato shop? Why not! At least that's what I thought when I went to try this aptly named historic gelateria, that has been producing ice cream in the traditional way using only milk, cream, eggs, fruit and top quality slected ingredients since 1939! The family behind Perché No definitely knows that they're doing because this gelato was creamy and flavorful - just look at it!
Gelateria dei Neri
You can probably tell from the above pictures that I am often a creature of habit when it comes to selecting gelato flavors, but every once in a while, I surprise my self and become adventurous. Hey, at least a girl knows what she likes! In this case, it was trying the raspberry flavor, and I was SO happy I did at Gelateria dei Neri. It punched a raspberry flavor so stong, it was as if I was snacking on fruit fresh from the market. Another Florence gelato institution that has been serving up delicious gelato for over 30 years, this shop is located near the Uffizi Gallery. So after you take a stroll through museum, wander over to reward yourself with a sweet treat - you deserve it!
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