Un viaggio per gelato

There is no doubt that walking through the streets of Florence immediately engages your senses. You're surrounded by ancient churches overflowing with culture and color, and trattorias whose windows are adorned with delicate pastries in beautiful displays. You hear street performers playing their instruments and locals chatting in the piazza. In the open markets, the ever-present aromas of fresh tomato and garlic waft by as butchers slice prosciutto and salame. With your senses of sight, hearing, and smell running at full speed, why not take a break for a cool cup of a Florence specialty that will engage your sense of taste. And if you're hungry for the sweetest taste of Florence, why not embark on your own personal viaggio per gelato.

Gelato is normally made with fresh fruits, chocolate, or other various sweets or nuts, such as cookies, coffees, or hazelnut. The ingredients are mixed and frozen to produce a dense, flavorful icy delight. Be aware, though, that in order to experience gelato at its finest, one must learn the secrets of this superb delicacy. The urge to walk into the first—and maybe for some of us, every—gelateria you see is a difficult urge to resist, but holding out for a few perfect bites is well worth the wait.

As you walk by the tempting displays, remember these bits of gelato wisdom. First, as you peer into the shop, look for metal containers. These tell you that it's freshly made rather than mass-produced gelato, which typically comes in plastic containers. Next, look for two tell-tale flavors: banana and limone. Neither should be bright yellow. If the banana is a light gray, the gelateria used fresh bananas instead of a powdered mix. Also, limone should be white, because gelato made with fresh lemon is a very bright white. If you’ve found a gelateria that meets these requirements, dive in.

If after hours of scrupulous gelato research and investigation you are curious to find arguably the best Florence has to offer, Vivoli is the place for you. This small shop is located just two blocks from Santa Croce on Via Isole delle Stinche. Recommended by Let’s Go Travel, as well as several gelato veterans, this quaint gelateria will surely satisfy your needs. Vivoli offers a variety of flavors including banana (gray in color, of course), melone (cantaloupe), and cioccolato con caffè.

I have two more suggestions for those on their own personal viaggio per gelato. First, try flavors that you think you might not like. Some of the stranger local flavors, such as ricotta and fig (which together taste remarkably like cheesecake) turn out to be mini-adventures in and of themselves. Also, hop into a few chocolate shops and ask if they have gelato. Even if a shop has gelato that isn’t on display, it’s usually worth trying.

Beginning your journey to discover the perfect gelato may seem intimidating at first, but the work—if you must call it that— pays off. A perfect scoop of melone or limone gelato will surely give you the sweetest taste of Florence.