Gelato Heaven
It’s pointless to talk about the good old days, before the euro, when you could get a gigantic cone for 7,000 lira. Now you are lucky to find a decent helping for 2.50€ but it is still worth every euro cent when you find a real artisan. My gelato heaven is Gelateria dei Neri. Abundant flavors, lactose free and soy gelato, mousse to die for, and the best prices in town; it is the very definition of value. If you are a dark chocolate lover you cannot leave without tasting their version that is so rich it seems milk free. Crostata di fragola is the perfect strawberry shortcake impersonation and for tropical goodness only available in the summer months, try passion fruit, delightful when mixed with cream or fior di latte. They are always experimenting and have offered unique flavors like cannoli, chocolate with pistachios and peperoncino, and stracchino.
While Gelateria dei Neri is great for everything there are some gelaterias that are good for one flavor. While I dislike the high prices and constant flow of tourists all carrying the same guide book, the very famous Vivoli does have an incredible cinnamon flavor which of course is not always available. If you like cinnamon and catch them at the right time, it’s absolutely delicious. Gelato Mezzanotte located two steps from the Duomo has a wonderful signature flavor strangely enough called mezzanotte that taste like an oreo cookie in a creamy eggnog ice cream with chocolate swirl. The prices are high and the hours are unpredictable but the flavor is a real treat. Just up the street from San Lorenzo is Antica Gelateria Fiorentina; the chocolate and caramel flavors are spot on and the prices are decent. A little further outside the center is the Badiani where you can find the amazing flavor, Buon Talenti. It’s a delicate sweet butter cream that can be mixed with just about any other flavor and will leave your mouth wanting more.
Where there is heaven there is also gelato purgatory. Avoid it by avoiding gelato freezers in bars, gelato piled high in artificial looking mounds of red and brown toppings, and for gelato’s sake the Festival of Gelato might look great, but it’s not!
Enjoy.
