Good gelato in Florence is easy to find once you know which counters to trust. Badiani in Campo di Marte invented the Buontalenti cream, Edoardo by the Duomo works only with organic ingredients, and across the Arno La Sorbettiera is the one for fruit. We picked nine, from the streets around the Duomo and the Oltrarno out to Campo di Marte and Gavinana.
The short list
9 places, in the order they appear below.
- 1Edoardo Il Gelato BiologicoOrganic ingredients, pistachioPiazza del Duomo
- 2Perché No!Crema and fruit, since 1939Near Piazza della Signoria
- 3Gelateria dei NeriTexture and intense flavoursVia dei Neri
- 4La SorbettieraConcentrated fruit flavoursPiazza Tasso, across the Arno
- 5Cantina del GelatoA quiet evening stopVia de' Bardi
- 6Sbrino Gelatificio ContadinoFior di latte and nocciola from farm milkVia dei Serragli
- 7Gelateria della PasseraDaily-changing flavoursPiazza della Passera
- 8BadianiBuontalenti, the originalCampo di Marte
- 9MordilatteFlavours that follow what's ripeGavinana
Where can you find good gelato near the Duomo and Piazza della Signoria?
The area around the Duomo is the tourist centre of Florence, and three shops here keep their standards in the middle of it. Edoardo is on Piazza del Duomo itself, Perché No! is on Via dei Tavolini near Piazza della Signoria, and Gelateria dei Neri is on Via dei Neri.
Edoardo uses only certified organic ingredients and no industrial additives, and the flavours taste cleaner and more defined for it. The pistachio is the one to order.
Edoardo Il Gelato Biologico
Hours: Mon–Sun 11:00–22:00
Address: Piazza del Duomo, 45/R, 50122 Firenze FI, Italy
Perché No! has been open since 1939, and more than eighty years of tourists haven’t changed the way it works. Pair the crema with whatever fruit is in season.
Perché No!
Hours: Mon 12:00–19:30 · Tue closed · Wed–Sun 12:00–19:30
Address: Via dei Tavolini, 19r, 50122 Firenze FI, Italy
At Gelateria dei Neri the gelato is made every day, and you can taste the care in the texture and in how intense the flavours are. The street fills up with visitors, so go on a quieter day of the week, when the wait is shorter and more flavours are still on offer.
Gelateria dei Neri
Hours: Mon 10:30–00:00 · Tue–Wed closed · Thu–Sun 10:30–00:00
Address: Via dei Neri, 9/11R, 50122 Firenze FI, Italy
Where do locals cross the Arno for gelato?
Across the Arno, the choice is between fruit worth a dedicated walk and a quiet stop after dinner. La Sorbettiera is the one locals cross the river for, and Cantina del Gelato on Via de’ Bardi is where an evening stroll through the Oltrarno can end.
The scoops at La Sorbettiera, on Piazza Tasso, are the ones locals cross the Arno for. They taste of concentrated fruit rather than diluted cream, and the flavours rotate through the year. Pick a fruit flavour over the creams here.
La Sorbettiera
Hours: Mon–Sat 12:30–00:00 · Sun 11:00–00:00
Address: Piazza Torquato Tasso, 11r, 50124 Firenze FI
Cantina del Gelato keeps it simple, with traditional methods and fresh ingredients. Its shop on Via de’ Bardi is where an evening stroll through the Oltrarno can end after dinner. A second shop in Borgo la Croce is held to the same standard, but the Via de’ Bardi branch is the quieter and more intimate of the two.
Cantina del Gelato
Hours: Mon–Sun 11:15–23:00
Address: Via de' Bardi, 31, 50125 Firenze FI, Italy
Where can you taste gelato made with farm milk or the day’s ingredients?
Two shops build their gelato around what comes through the door: milk from the owner’s own farm at Sbrino on Via dei Serragli, and whatever ingredients arrived that day at Gelateria della Passera, a tiny shop with a short list that changes daily.
Sbrino Gelatificio Contadino, on Via dei Serragli, uses milk from the owner’s own farm, and you can taste it in the richness and in the cleaner flavours. Start with the fior di latte and the nocciola, because if those two are right, the rest will be too.
Sbrino Gelatificio Contadino
Hours: Mon–Sun 11:30–00:00
Address: Via dei Serragli, 32r, 50124 Firenze FI, Italy
Gelateria della Passera, a tiny shop on Piazza della Passera, changes its short list every day according to the ingredients it has, with no twenty-flavour counter. Go earlier in the day, before the more unusual flavours run out, and ask the staff which batch is freshest. The plain crema is better than it looks.
Gelateria della Passera
Hours: Mon closed · Tue–Thu 10:30–23:00 · Fri–Sat 10:30–00:00 · Sun 10:30–23:00
Address: Via Toscanella, 15/red, 50125 Firenze FI, Italy
Which gelaterie are worth a trip outside the centre?
Two are worth leaving the centre for, and each is best planned as its own outing: Badiani on Viale dei Mille in Campo di Marte, where the Buontalenti cream was invented, and Mordilatte in Gavinana, where the flavour list follows what’s ripe.
Badiani sits on Viale dei Mille in Campo di Marte, far from the tourist centre, and generations of Florentines have kept going back for gelato that is consistent and serious. The Buontalenti, a rich egg-based cream, was invented here and is still the reference for the flavour, so order it first and then a second flavour to compare it with.
Badiani
Hours: Mon–Thu 07:00–00:00 · Fri–Sat 07:00–01:00 · Sun 07:30–00:00
Address: Viale dei Mille, 20/r, 50131 Firenze FI, Italy
Mordilatte, on Via Gabriele D’Annunzio in Gavinana, makes everything fresh from 100% natural ingredients, with no artificial additives, and each scoop reflects what’s ripe now rather than a fixed catalogue.
Mordilatte
Hours: Mon–Sun 11:00–23:00
Address: Via Gabriele D'Annunzio, 105, 50135 Firenze FI, Italy
Which Florence gelateria should you choose?
Choose by what you want to taste and where you’ll be. Fruit lovers should head to La Sorbettiera, Edoardo covers organic sourcing close to the sights, and Sbrino is the one for milk flavours. Every shop here is priced at € or €€, so cost rarely settles it.
A few shops close one day a week and some shut earlier in the evening than others, so check each card before you set out.
