Tips for Finding the Best Gelato in Florence
Italy is absolutely known for its food, with some of its specialties including gnocci, pizza, pasta, and cannolis. What I was most looking forward to when coming to Italy however, was the gelato! Walking through Florence, there is a gelateria on practically every street corner. So how you choose where to eat??
In our Italian language class, our instructor gave us a list of tips on how to choose an authentic gelateria with high quality ice cream in order to maximize your enjoyment of this wonderful treat.
- Steer clear of any shop with cases of gelato at street level.
These vendors are normally found in the most populated, touristy areas of the city who try to draw in crowds as they walk by. The gelato could still be good, but it will not be as high quality as more established vendors.
- Avoid gelaterias that serve neon-colored gelato.
One common example of this is with pistachio flavor. Normally, pistachio should be a pale sage green color. However, some stores that use artificial flavoring will serve neon green pistachio gelato. This is a red flag because it implies that the ice cream is produced with artificial ingredients that won’t taste as good as their natural alternatives (and artificial isn’t any cheaper!)
- Don’t order unrecognizable flavors (“Poofo”).
Related to number two, some gelatarias will have flavors with strange names such as “Poofo” that are usually artificially colored (bright blue for example). These are generally just flavored with sugar rather than any real ingredients, and will therefore only taste like sugary syrups.
Here’s a link to an article with a fairly comprehensive list of gelato flavors, including ‘Poofo.’
- Watch out for stores that display large mounds of gelato.
Many stores will try to attract customers by displaying large, extravagant mounds of gelato in their cases. They do look appealing and definitely catch your eye, but stores that feel they have to do this in order to bring in customers generally will have lower quality gelato. In addition, these mountain displays will result in the gelato being out for longer, and therefore may be somewhat melted, or lower quality.
Final Thoughts
The best place to find gelato in Florence (and most likely other European cities as well) are generally a few streets away from main tourist attractions. You will have to walk into the store to see the gelato flavors, and they should be made with natural ingredients, in standard, delicious flavors (or at least not ‘poofo’). A small gelato should only cost about 2 euro, so be weary of stores that charge much more than that. If you know anyone in the area, be sure to ask for suggestions of their favorite gelatarias! Enjoy!!
