Florence, Italy: The 3 Best Gelateria Shops!

While many people might immediately respond TRUE, the real answer is FALSE. Believe it or not, you can actually have bad gelato in Italy, especially from a tourist-trap. Certain commercial brands of gelato are full of preservatives, artificial colors, and artificial flavorings. Sometimes, gelaterias push their gelato display to the front of the store or even outside during the summer to attract tourists. The problem with this is that gelato contains milk and some flavors contain eggs, so having the heat of the sun beating down on the display case may compromise the gelato and make it unsafe for consumption.

The earliest records of frozen desserts date back to ancient Egypt and later ancient Rome. Both of these civilizations have recipes involving crushed ice or snow mixed with honey and fruits (like a sorbetto). It is Italy, however, that takes credit for introducing gelato to the world. According to historical legend, the 16th century Florentine Bernardo Buontalenti created a frozen custard made with eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla and ice. This delicious concoction delighted Caterina de' Medici and the French court so much that it soon became popular all over Europe.

Gelato contains between 3-8% milk fat and about 25-30% air. Ice cream, on the other hand, contains between 10-15% milk fat and about 50-60% air. The result? Since fat tends to coat your taste buds, the flavor of gelato is a bit more intense. Less air makes the consistency of gelato more like a creamy custard vs. typical ice cream.

After a decade of eating Italian gelato, I must admit that my palate is spoiled. I refuse to waste my precious time (or calorie allowance) on anything but the very best. I gravitate to places that offer the freshest quality, unique flavors and natural ingredients with little or no artificial ingredients. Here is a list of my top three personal favorite gelaterias in Florence:

1. Perche No? (Why Not?)- This gelateria was established in 1939 and it is by far the most popular with the locals. During WWII, it bravely kept its doors open while other businesses closed. Times were tough and sometimes they could offer only one flavor (whatever they could get their hands on), in an attempt to lift the spirits of the locals. This reason alone is enough to make it one of my favorites! Alas, there is more...Perche No? makes their gelato fresh daily, using no artificial colors or preservatives. They also offer alternatives made with soy for vegans and people with lactose intolerance. I recommend the exotic fruit sorbettos like Mango and Passion Fruit, and unique gelatos like Ginger, Lavanda (Lavender), and Rose Cream.

2. Vestri- While this is actually a wonderful chocolate shop (the owner is an expert chocolatier and the cacao is grown on a family plantation in Santo Domingo), they offer gelato during the warm weather months. The gelato flavors are few, but exceptionally good and made with all natural ingredients. What makes Vestri unique is that they make their gelato the way they make their chocolate: flavor is infused into the milk beforehand. The result is a surprise to the taste buds- an explosion of flavor. I recommend their Crema Fiorentina (creamy vanilla custard) and of course, Chocolate.

3. Gelateria della Passera- Recently opened, this small gelateria is an extension to the trendy caffe / bar / eatery Caffe degli Artigiani in the Oltrarno. Like the other two gelaterias mentioned, they also produce their own gelato with no artificial colors or flavors. In my opinion they make the best Fior di Latte e Menta I have ever tasted (sweet cream infused with mint). There are actually little tidbits of green mint leaves mixed into the gelato- delicious. Yogurt and Noce (walnut) are also fabulous flavors to try.

Perche No? website: Via dei Tavolini, 19/R (Website: http://www.percheno.firenze.it/)

Vestri website: Borgo degli Albizi, 11/R (Website: http://www.vestri.it/)

Gelateria della Passera: Piazza della Passera 15/R

Of course, there are other gelaterias in town that are good and I am sure that some Florentines would debate my choices. Here is a short list of other gelaterias that my husband and I really like and frequent on occasion (my three "honorable mentions" so to speak):

Gelateria dei Neri (Via dei Neri 26/R): family owned and operated. Known for having excellent flavors like Chocolate Peperoncino (feels hot and cold in your mouth at the same time) gelato and Pink Grapefruit sorbetto.

Rivareno (Borgo degli Albizi 46/R): one of several in an Italian franchise with better quality gelato. What I like is the fact that they have a glass wall where you can actually see them making gelato. They offer unusual flavors like Mango Heera (Himalayan mango mixed with yogurt) and Alice (mascarpone gelato with a chocolate- hazelnut glaze).

Il Gelato di Filo (Piazza San Niccolo, adjacent to Rifrullo Bar): this small gelateria only has a few flavors, but I was pleasantly surprised. My choice flavors: Dark Chocolate and Coconut.

When you visit Florence, give my recommendations a try and let me know what you think. Thanks for reading!

Coming to Florence? Visit: www.florenceinsider.com

xoxo, C