A Gelato Trail Through Florence

Most cities are introduced through monuments.

Someone hands you a list, usually laminated by the internet long before you arrive, and tells you where to stand, what to photograph, and which pieces of history deserve your attention. You move from landmark to landmark, collecting evidence that you were there. A cathedral. A bridge. A famous painting. Another cathedral.

Florence, however, seems strangely resistant to being consumed that way.

Perhaps because it is so compact. Perhaps because everything is beautiful enough to distract you from where you were supposed to be going. Or perhaps because the city understands something many destinations do not: that life happens in the space between attractions.

The narrow streets where laundry hangs above expensive leather shops. The old men arguing outside cafés before lunch. The woman is carrying vegetables home in the heat. The students are balancing sketchbooks on their knees beside centuries-old statues while tourists march past them in guided groups.

The city is famous for its masterpieces, its outstanding architecture and decorative artwork, but Florence often feels more interesting when you’re not looking beyond them.

Which is why I ended up measuring the city in scoops of gelato.

Not because Florence lacks museums, churches, palaces or artistic achievements, but because after a few days, you realise there is only so much Renaissance brilliance one person can absorb before their brain quietly stops processing information. Somewhere around the fourth Madonna and Child, the fifteenth marble saint and the eighteenth explanation of Medici patronage, you start needing small rewards.

Fortunately, Florence has those too.

Not every gelateria is great (or even good), admittedly. The city contains an alarming number of places selling brightly coloured mountains of ice cream that look as though they have been inflated with a bicycle pump. The closer you get to certain tourist hotspots, the more these fluorescent displays begin appearing, each promising authenticity while resembling something purchased wholesale from an industrial freezer. Typically, these spots are overpriced and have a man outside giving you free samples before he hooks your arm in his and steers you inside/

The good places tend to be less decorative. Their gelato sits flatter. The colours are less neon and the flavours more interesting. The service comes with a smile as I attempt to order in somewhat broken Italian.

And because Florence is remarkably walkable, some of the city’s best gelaterias sit only moments away from the landmarks everyone comes to see.

So this is not a guide to Florence’s greatest attractions, nor is it a ranking of its best gelato. Think of it instead as a route through the city, measured in scoops.

A (not really) definitive guide to eating gelato in Florence

1. The Duomo

The first glimpse of the Duomo feels less like discovering a building and more like accidentally walking into it.

Florence’s streets are narrow enough that the cathedral appears suddenly, filling whatever gap exists between the surrounding buildings. One moment you’re following a stream of people through shaded stone alleyways; the next you are standing beneath an enormous dome that somehow still manages to look impossible despite existing for nearly six hundred years.

You can learn about Brunelleschi’s engineering genius. You can admire the pink, green, and white marble. You can spend hours contemplating how something so large was constructed in an age without modern machinery.

Or you can simply stand there for a moment and wonder how many generations have had the same reaction.

A short walk away sits La Strega Nocciola.

Their stracciatella is excellent, but Florence is a city that rewards curiosity, and the lavender flavour feels somehow appropriate after standing beneath a cathedral that once represented the absolute limits of human ambition.

The floral notes arrive gently rather than aggressively, more fragrant than sweet, and for a moment, the entire city seems to slow down.

Florence does that occasionally. Not often. There are too many visitors for genuine tranquillity. But every so often, a small pocket of calm appears between the crowds, and you suddenly notice church bells somewhere in the distance or sunlight reflecting from old stone walls.

The lavender tastes like one of those moments.

2. The Uffizi

The Uffizi is the kind of place that makes you realise how many famous paintings you know without knowing you know them.

You round a corner and discover Botticelli. Another corner reveals da Vinci. Somewhere further along hangs a masterpiece you’ve seen reproduced on postcards, textbooks and coffee mugs for most of your life.

The collection is extraordinary, and the crowds are equally impressive.

There is something slightly strange about viewing some of humanity’s greatest artistic achievements while being gently pushed along by a queue of people attempting to do the same thing.

Afterwards, crossing towards Gelateria dei Neri feels like escaping into normality.

Their ricotta and fig flavour possesses a richness that somehow avoids becoming heavy. The ricotta provides a creamy, almost cheesecake-like foundation while the figs add bursts of sweetness that feel naturally earned rather than manufactured.

People sit outside with their cups. Conversations drift between Italian and English and half a dozen other languages.

The Uffizi preserves Florence’s past; meanwhile, the streets around it remind you that the city is still alive.

3. Ponte Vecchio

The Ponte Vecchio receives an extraordinary amount of attention for a bridge.

Admittedly, it is not an ordinary bridge.

The jewellery shops suspended above the river make it look less like infrastructure and more like a small village attempting to cross water. Tourists gather shoulder to shoulder, photographing it from every possible angle while gold glitters behind shop windows.

It is beautiful, but it is also crowded beyond reason. Which is why the short walk to Gelateria La Carraia feels particularly welcome.

The berry sorbet is tangy, sweet and sour all at once, and you can tell it’s made from real fruit because I had seeds stuck between my teeth after. It provides the perfect refreshment during hotter afternoons.

The white chocolate and pistachio equally deserve special attention. Pistachio is often a useful measure of quality in Italian gelaterias. Done badly, it tastes vaguely nut-like, bitter and chalky. Done properly, it carries an earthy richness and complexity that lingers long after the sweetness disappears.

Here, paired with white chocolate, it becomes something luxurious without becoming excessive.

The Arno flows nearby as people lean against railings. The city continues moving as you wipe green droplets from the base of your chin.

4. Piazza della Signoria

Piazza della Signoria has always been Florence’s outdoor theatre.

Political speeches, celebrations, executions, demonstrations, centuries of public life compressed into a single square. Today, there’s a political protest against the current government, calling for greater attention to be given to the future of Albania, its culture, heritage and opportunities for young people.

Visitors photograph statues. Children chase pigeons. Guides raise umbrellas above tour groups. The square still feels important.

Nearby, Perché No! serves one of the city’s most memorable flavours: milk with honey and sesame seeds.

It sounds simple, but it’s anything but. The milk provides softness, and whilst it has notes of vanilla, it resembles Mr Wippy more closely. The honey adds warmth and fragrance, rather than straightforward sweetness. The sesame introduces texture and a subtle nuttiness that keeps the flavour shifting long after the first spoonful.

Like many of Florence’s best experiences, it reveals itself gradually.

5. Galleria dell’Accademia

Everyone visits the Accademia for one reason: David.

You can pretend otherwise if you like, but eventually every corridor leads towards Michelangelo’s giant marble masterpiece.

Now, what surprised me wasn’t the scale, but rather it was the detail and intricacy that blew even me, an art noob, away. The veins are visible beneath the stone skin. The tension held within a relaxed posture. The sense that marble has somehow forgotten it is marble and become a living thing.

Outside, Florence immediately returns to being Florence as scooters weave through narrow streets, and people queue for the biggest sandwiches I’ve ever seen. As I pass by, someone is carrying a ladder through an alleyway apparently designed for pedestrians.

At My Sugar, the mandarin and yuzu flavours cut through the afternoon heat with remarkable precision. It’s sharp, bright and incredibly citrus-forward. I’m a big fan of yuzu, and this did not disappoint.

After hours spent indoors surrounded by Renaissance masterpieces, it tastes almost like a spiritual awakening.

6. Piazzale Michelangelo & Boboli Gardens

Most viewpoints disappoint. Piazzale Michelangelo does not. Now, it’s not a “hidden gem” as much as TikTok creators want you to believe, but it is beautiful and worth seeing, especially in the evening as the sun sets.

As the day draws to a close, the city spreads beneath you in terracotta layers. Domes, towers and church roofs emerge from a landscape that appears almost deliberately arranged for painters, washed in bright, fiery hues.

Tourists and locals alike arrive carrying cameras. Others bring wine and some snacks. Just below me is a guy strumming away on his guitar, making the whole thing feel like a scene in Eat, Pray, Love.

0he Boboli Gardens is so close by, you might as well kill two birds with one stone and do them back-to-back. Windy pathways, hidden corners, green spaces shaded by trees, and carefully designed landscapes that feel surprisingly peaceful considering their proximity to central Florence.

Somewhere between these two sites sits Sbrino. A truly wonderful gelateria with a sign that lights up the entrance at night, but in the daytime it’s easy to miss. The egg cream with sweet Marsala wine flavour feels distinctly Florentine, rich with history and slightly indulgent. Imagine eating a pastel de nata with a glass of sweet wine at the end of the meal. Now, put that into a creamy, rich, yet light gelato: ta da!

The kiwi sorbet is also a showstopper. Refreshingly acidic, crisp, clean, and intensely thirst-quenching, it tastes like summer. This, alongside the yuzu & mandarin, was the best sorbet I had in Florence.

Side note: When the heat becomes unbearable, their slushies perform minor miracles.

Florence in summer can feel relentless. The stone absorbs sunlight. The air thickens. Even shade seems exhausted. But take my word, a cold granita or slushie from Sbrino becomes less of a refreshment and more of a survival strategy.

7. Palazzo Pitti

Palazzo Pitti possesses the confidence of a building that knows exactly how important it is. Everything about it feels oversized and overdone, and even after centuries, it still projects wealth with startling efficiency.

Just beyond the palace, tucked within a quieter corner of Florence, sits Gelateria della Passera. The ricotta and sour cherry combination manages to balance richness and sharpness perfectly. It’s indulgent without becoming overwhelming. Sweet without becoming sickly. The use of sour cherries as opposed to regular cherries was a smart move, as it balances the ricotta perfectly. The two flavours are combined with just enough sugar to complement the somewhat savouriness, but not detract from it.

Their dairy-free options deserve equal praise for being as dairy-like as traditional gelatos. So often, I steer away from “dairy-free” gelatos and opt for sorbets, finding them usually lacking and rather icy.

Speaking of sorbets, the pomegranate sorbet in particular packs a punch. 1 scoop is all you need, and your tongue will be stained bright pink for a good few hours after.

8. Santa Croce

Santa Croce is often introduced as the resting place of Florence’s great minds. This includes the likes of the infamous Michelangelo, Galileo and Machiavelli. An extraordinary collection of people whose ideas outlived them by centuries.

Walking through the basilica inevitably encourages reflection on legacy, achievement and the uncomfortable reality that most of us will not have churches built around our tombs.

Fortunately, gelato offers a more immediate concern.

At Barroccino, the pistachio with Volterra salt achieves an impressive balance between savoury and sweet, and you can really distinguish this type of small-batch and intentional gelato making from the mass, overly-produced kind that populates much of Florence (and any big city for that matter!) The ingredients are simple, but the effort to source the best can be tasted in every lick.

Here, you’ll also find a rather unique Chianti wine sorbet that feels particularly suited to Florence. It carries notes of fruit, tannin and summer evenings spent outdoors. Not wine disguised as dessert but something else entirely. Something distinctly Tuscan.

9. Santa Maria Novella

By the time you reach Santa Maria Novella, Florence has probably exhausted you. Not because the city is difficult, but because there is simply so much of it, and maneuvering you way through cobbled streets, diverting between crowds and cars in the relentless heat can take its toll.

Here you have another church. And look! Another square.Ooh, and another masterpiece from the Renaissance period. It all kind of becomes blurred.

The basilica itself is beautiful, particularly its geometric marble façade, but what Florence really teaches is that beauty becomes ordinary remarkably quickly. Not less beautiful by any means. More so, it begins to feel so familiar.

Which is perhaps why the lemon granita at B.ICE feels so timely and refreshing. As if, once you’ve had it, you have a new lease of life (or, perhaps, that’s just the sugar rush).

No complexity. No elaborate combinations. Just sharp, icy citrus cutting directly through the accumulated richness of the day.

Simple things often arrive at exactly the right moment.

A City Best Consumed Slowly

The remarkable thing about Florence is not that these places exist. Italy is full of excellent gelato, and I’ve had a lot of it. In Rome, Venice, Verona, Milan, and right down to the small cities of Montebelluna and the beach resorts of Jesolo.

The remarkable thing is how closely everything sits together.

You can walk between world-famous landmarks and exceptional gelaterias in minutes. The distances are short enough that the city never feels fragmented. One experience bleeds naturally into the next.

None of these places I’ve mentioned is particularly expensive either (and believe me, you can kind a lot of that without my help!) Most cupettas cost somewhere between €2.50 and €3.50, a fraction of the price compared to the eye-watering €10 i paid at one place. Some are well-known and attract queues, but for good reason. Some remain relatively quiet as they might be tucked right around the corner. Some are famous, award-winning, “must-try” destinations. Others less so, but still just as worthy of your time and attention.

What these places all share is care.

Real ingredients. Interesting flavours. The confidence to do something more imaginative than piling brightly coloured gelato into towering displays designed primarily for photographs.

And perhaps that is what Florence itself does best. Beneath the crowds, beneath the guidebooks, beneath the endless lists of things you are supposed to see, the city rewards attention.

Not urgency. Not efficiency.

Long after you’ve forgotten how many museums you visited or how many photographs you took, you’ll remember standing in a small Florentine square with melting gelato running down your hand, watching everyday life unfold around you.

And that, more than any landmark, feels like Florence.

Looking to Plan a Trip to Florence?

Looking to plan a trip to Florence? Want to experience all the sites (and great gelato) for yourself?

As an Independent Travel Advisor, I can support you with creating the most magical and memorable trip to Florence that you’re sure to savour forever.

Just get in touch or email me at travelsswithlauren@gmail.com. I look forward to hearing from you!