💡 The Short Version: The gelateria the lists name most is Vivoli, in Santa Croce, with 10 sources (five English, five Italian). Perché No! (open since 1939), Badiani and Gelateria della Passera follow with nine each. Badiani says it is the only home of the Buontalenti flavour, a cream gelato of cream, milk, sugar and eggs, and is open to midnight on its winter timetable. La Sorbettiera says all its flavours are gluten-free. Or book a class: the gelato-making classad is from €108 for 1 hour in a group of up to 6.
📊 The evidence behind this guide. Nothing here is ranked on one visit. The counts come from the gelato lists among the 80 English and Italian list pages read for where to eat in Florence: Time Out, The Florence Insider, Curious Appetite, The Tuscan Mom and Visit Florence in English, and ConGelato, La Cucina Italiana, Food and Wine Italia, Gambero Rosso and Scatti di Gusto in Italian. Counts are publishers, with the English and Italian figures shown apart. How the guides are made
The gelaterie, by how many lists name them
| Gelateria | Sources | English | Italian | Where |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vivoli | 10 | 5 | 5 | Via dell’Isola delle Stinche 7r |
| Perché No! | 9 | 5 | 4 | Via de’ Tavolini 19r |
| Badiani | 9 | 4 | 5 | Viale dei Mille 20/r |
| Gelateria della Passera | 9 | 4 | 5 | Via Toscanella 15/r |
| La Sorbettiera | 8 | 3 | 5 | Piazza T. Tasso 11/r and three other shops |
| Carabè | 7 | 4 | 3 | Via Ricasoli 60 |
| La Carraia | 5 | 3 | 2 | Piazza Nazario Sauro 25/r |
| I Gelati del Bondi | 5 | 0 | 5 | Via Nazionale 61/R |
| Sbrino | 5 | 1 | 4 | Via dei Serragli 32r |
The gelaterie
Coconut, wild berry and pistachio gelato at a Florence counter. Photo: Sphilbrick, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Vivoli
Via dell’Isola delle Stinche 7r, Santa Croce · Cited by 10 sources (5 English, 5 Italian) · vivoli.it
It began as the Latteria Vivoli in 1929, in a dairy at no. 3/r of the same street, in a quarter full of craft workshops. Order the affogato, which Vivoli calls “La gran crema al caffè”: gelato with espresso. The shop also sells cakes and rice pudding. Phone 055 292334.
The queue at Vivoli on Via dell’Isola delle Stinche. Photo: Hein56didden, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Perché No!
Via de’ Tavolini 19r · Cited by 9 sources (5 English, 4 Italian) · percheno.firenze.it
A shop beside Piazza della Repubblica and near Piazza della Signoria that has made gelato since 1939. The Associazione Esercizi Storici Fiorentini lists the hours as 11:00 to 20:00 from November to February, closed on Tuesday, and 11:00 to midnight from March to October, with Tuesday 12:00 to 20:00 (esercizistoricifiorentini.it). The classics it lists are crema, bacio and pistachio.
Badiani
Viale dei Mille 20/r · daily 7:00 to 24:00, to 1:00 on Friday and Saturday (winter) · Cited by 9 sources (4 English, 5 Italian) · gelateriabadiani.it
Idilio Badiani opened it in 1932 as a dairy and gelateria, and it moved to the present address in the early 1960s. The Pomposi family has run it since 1993. Order the Buontalenti: the shop says it won a prize in a contest for the Florentine architect at the end of the 1960s, that it is made only of cream, milk, sugar and eggs, and that it is the only home of the real one. In summer it opens daily 7:00 to 1:00. It is about 2 km from the Duomo.
Gelateria della Passera
Via Toscanella 15/r, Oltrarno · Cited by 9 sources (4 English, 5 Italian) · gelateriadellapassera.it
A shop with the workshop in view, which began in 2010. Its site says it uses seasonal ingredients, so the flavours in the tubs change through the year.
La Sorbettiera
Piazza T. Tasso 11/r, Via Mazzetta 9a, Via de’ Banchi 49r and Via de’ Bardi 69r · Cited by 8 sources (3 English, 5 Italian) · lasorbettiera.it
A gelateria with four shops, from Piazza Tasso to the Ponte Vecchio side. All its flavours are gluten-free and some are lactose-free. Among the unusual ones are Thai, lemongrass and coconut, and the New England 1776, maple syrup with caramelised bacon.
Gelateria La Carraia
Piazza Nazario Sauro 25/r · daily 11:00 to midnight, 11:00 to 22:00 in winter · Cited by 5 sources (3 English, 2 Italian) · gelaterialacarraia.it
Open since 1990 and named for the Ponte alla Carraia, near which it stands. Phone 055 280695.
I Gelati del Bondi
Via Nazionale 61/R, at the corner of Via Faenza · Cited by 5 sources (0 English, 5 Italian) · gelatidelbondi.com
The gelateria of Vetulio Bondi, which says it has made natural gelato without palm oil since 1982. Every list that names it is in Italian.
Carabè and Sbrino
Carabè, at Via Ricasoli 60/r, is a Sicilian-style gelateria named by four English and three Italian lists, and Sbrino, at Via dei Serragli 32r, a gelatificio contadino named by one English and four Italian ones.
Make it yourself
Florence: Gelato Small Group Making Class, Max 6 Peoplead is from €108 for 1 hour. The pizza classes that end with gelato are in Florence food tours.
Lemon and melon gelato decorated with slices of the fruit, in a Florence shop window. Photo: Fooding Around, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.
For other food, see where to eat in Florence, Florence street food and bistecca alla fiorentina. To fit a gelato into a day, see 3 days in Florence and Florence in one or two days. The best time to visit Florence gives the temperatures by month, and where to stay in Florence compares the areas.
Common questions
Which gelateria do the lists name most often in Florence?
Vivoli, in Santa Croce, with 10 sources: five English-language lists and five Italian. Perché No!, Badiani and Gelateria della Passera follow with nine each.
What is the Buontalenti flavour?
A cream gelato made only of cream, milk, sugar and eggs. Badiani says it won a prize in a contest held at the end of the 1960s to commemorate the Florentine architect Bernardo Buontalenti, and that its gelateria is the only home of the real one.
When is Gelateria Perché No! open?
The Associazione Esercizi Storici Fiorentini lists 11:00 to 20:00 from November to February, closed on Tuesday, and 11:00 to midnight from March to October, with Tuesday 12:00 to 20:00. The shop on Via dei Tavolini has sold gelato since 1939.
How late is Badiani open?
On its winter timetable daily 7:00 to 24:00, to 1:00 on Friday and Saturday. In summer it is open daily 7:00 to 1:00. It is on Viale dei Mille, about 2 km from the Duomo.
Is there gluten-free gelato in Florence?
La Sorbettiera says all its flavours are gluten-free and some are lactose-free. It has shops in Piazza Tasso, Via Mazzetta, Via de' Banchi and Via de' Bardi.
Which gelateria do only the Italian lists name?
I Gelati del Bondi, at Via Nazionale 61/R, is named by five Italian lists and none of the English ones. The shop says it has made natural gelato without palm oil since 1982.
