Sample It All and Decide for Yourself Which Is Best!
Whether you’re in Florence for a day or a week, it’s absolutely necessary that you try some of the unique, delectable, world-class gelato! Regardless of dietary restrictions, most gelato shops today have options for all to enjoy — from dairy-free to sugar-free, anyone can delight their taste buds with the creamy goodness of delicious gelato.
The amazing thing about Florence is that gelato shops can be found around almost every corner and the majority of them are serving up some good quality stuff. That being said there are some gelato institutions that surpass the expectation of what you ever thought gelato could be.
Here are my top five places for the best gelato in Florence.
Gelaterie La Carraia
With two locations in the city, Gelaterie La Carraia is a gelato shop that absolutely cannot be missed. Their main location, just off the Carraia bridge, can sometimes have long lines so I suggest going to their less popular location at Via Dei Benci, 24 — still in the heart of the city, just a 15-minute walk away.
This place is well-known for its creamy, thick gelato and variety of flavors. They have almost an equal number of sorbet options as they do milk-based gelato. The shop has been around since 1990 and they’ve clearly perfected their recipes.
Another thing that puts this gelato place at the top of my list is the prices — for the quality of the product, they cannot be beaten. A single scoop cone will cost you €1 and a cup €1.5. Some flavors I’d recommend are peanut butter and berry cake, and for sorbet pineapple and coconut.
Venchi
Venchi is in no way a secret; they have a ton of locations and all of them have lines because their gelato is THAT good. I was skeptical at first since it is a little pricier and seemed quite touristy to me, but it totally lives up to the hype.
I highly recommend getting one of their specialty cones or cups where the outside is smothered with chocolate or caramel and dusted with a variety of toppings including hazelnuts, coconut, raspberry bits and nougat. Famous for being a chocolate shop, it’s no surprise they are known for their nutty, chocolaty flavors.
Something to note is that overall they have fewer sorbet options and fewer gelato flavors than other places.
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Gelateria dei Neri
Gelateria dei Neri is a family-run gelato shop serving some of the creamiest traditional-style gelato in the city. It is popular for its amazing fusion of unique flavors with no compromise to quality. It has been a favorite of locals and tourists alike since it opened in 1989.
Some of their best and most exciting flavors to try are ricotta and fig, mascarpone (unique to Florence) and passion fruit. Many blogs and websites regard this as the top place for gelato in Florence.
Gelateria Perchè No
Literally translating to “why not,” Perchè No is one of Florence’s oldest gelato institutions. When you taste their gelato, it’s immediately apparent that they’ve been perfecting it for a long time — since 1939 to be exact!
A couple of things I really loved about this place was its proximity to all the main attractions, as well as its vegan options! As well as having sorbet they had a verity of soy-based creamy gelato options. Basically, all the flavors here are outstanding and you really can’t go wrong with any choice. If I had to recommend some I’d suggest the vegan hazelnut and chocolate.
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Il Procopio
A little bit further out than all the other shops suggested, Il Procopio serves up by far the most interesting flavors (and textures) of gelato in Florence — without sacrificing quality! They also only use seasonal ingredients so their recipes are always changing.
I highly suggest making the trip to visit this shop if gelato is one of your priorities during your trip to Florence. Some of their most popular flavors are lemon sorbet with chocolate cake chunks and almond with candied orange peel, toasted pistachios and almond slices.
An important thing to remember when picking a gelato shop is to avoid places that have the gelato stacked super high. The amount of air in these gelato takes out a lot of flavor and overall creaminess. They are much cheaper to make, and the quality is overall worse, so don’t fall for the fluffy, appealing aesthetic — your taste buds will ultimately be disappointed!