To find out more about gelato, how to find good gelato, and how to order it, see our Gelato - Italian Ice Cream.
Gelateria La Carraia
When we met Kyle, the About.com Guide to Italian Food, for our walk in Florence he took us to his favorite ice cream shop, Gelateria La Carraia. They serve excellent homemade gelato in a large variety of flavors. My cone with two flavors cost one euro (2008). Gelateria La Carraia is in in Piazza N. Sauro near Ponte Carraia, in the Oltrano area (across the river). They also have another shop, Gelateria La Carraia 2, at Via Benci 24/r.Gelateria dei Neri
Kristin Stasiowski, a Context Florence walking tour guide, took me to her favorite Florence gelato shop, Gelateria dei Neri. The small shop has hand-made ice cream in a variety of flavors, some of them unusual, and make sorbetto and soy based gelato, too. My favorite was the chocolate and orange. Gelateria dei Neri is at Via dei Neri 20-22, toward the center from the river and Ponte alla Grazie.
Vestri
Vestri is an artisanal chocolate shop with, as you'd expect, excellent chocolate gelato. They have only a few flavors but they're very good, made the old-fashion style and kept in metal canisters rather than being on view in a glass case. Vestri is a small shop north of Piazza Santa Croce on Borgo degli Albizi 11r.L'Angolo del Gelato
L'Angolo del Gelato makes a good stop on your way into or out of Florence if you arrive by train or bus. L'Angolo del Gelato is on a corner of Piazza Santa Maria Novella so you can admire the church while eating your ice cream. It's inexpensive and they have a few interesting flavors such as my favorite, cinnamon.Vivoli
Vivoli is highly recommended by Joe Palisi, an Italy traveler who has contributed photos to this site. He says it's his favorite gelateria and he's been there several times. Vivoli gelato is made fresh daily with natural ingredients and costs a little more than average. Vivoli is at Via Isola delle Stinche 7, about a block off Piazza Santa Croce.Grom
Grom says they make "Il Gelato Come Una Volta", Italian ice cream as it was once made. They use high quality ingredients and have a long list of flavors with additional flavors of the month. Grom is of Piazza del Duomo on via del Campanile at the corner of via delle Oche. It opens every day at 10:30 and closes at midnight during the summer season and at 11pm during the winter season. Grom can also be found in other northern Italian cities and Perugia as well as in Paris, Tokyo, and New York City. Although I haven't been there myself, it was recommended to me by Kristin Stasiowski, of Context Travel Florence.
