According to Gambero Rosso, there are two Florentine ice cream parlors that deserve the three cones (the highest recognition) in 2024: that of the Passera in via Toscanella and the Bondi Ice Cream in via Nazionale (corner of via Faenza). Five win the two cones: Gelato di Gabriele Vannucci, La Sorbettiera, Edoardo- il gelato Biologico, Sbrino-gelatificio contadini, Caminia.
Passera Ice Cream Shop
“Cinzia Otri’s ice creams start with a careful and thoughtful, almost obsessive, choice of ingredients that are then worked with great skill,” explains the guide. One of her latest creations, milk and dried figs, is inspired by the discovery of a native variety of the delicious fruit at a trusted producer. Also fruit-based are Benessere, a blend of citrus fruits and pomegranate, enriched with pollen, echinacea and chestnut honey; Green Vibes, made with a decoction of orange and lemon peels, ginger and bay leaves, combined with cooked and blended apple and pear peels, sweetened with fir honey; peaches and wine, an ice cream with sour cherries. The water base is also present in the ice cream with almonds or with coffee, prepared with a very strong espresso. And then there is the sheep ricotta ice cream with blackberry jam; the one with only raw organic milk and the one with organic milk and alkermes; and finally the chocolate ice creams, as many as the crus that Cinzia has selected.
Bondi ice creams
Vetulio Bondi has been making ice cream since 1982 with the enthusiasm of the first day, he talks about it and teaches how to prepare it by organizing ad hoc courses. Always with natural ingredients, without palm oil and without mono and diglycerides of fatty acids. To the more traditional and classic flavors, he alternates originality that cannot be found elsewhere. Among the first to mention are the coffee ice cream, only of single origin Arabica; the vanilla ice cream made with the best vanilla from the island of Komodo; the real zuppa inglese, the one created by an English governess in Fiesole when Florence was the capital of Italy with what she had at home, a lemon curd with pieces of Swiss chocolate and stale bread soaked in Alkermes. Among the specialties are the ice creams that are inspired by local cuisine such as the ice cream with Tuscan extra virgin olive oil or the one with tomato puree or cod; or the lemon balm rose ice cream, a flower that grows only in Switzerland: the rose is infused in milk for 24 hours and then, once churned, the ice cream is variegated with rhubarb sauce and Tuscan crunchy bread; and again the one with Amiata ricotta, Val di Chiana honey and rosemary from the Florentine hills.
Ice cream by Gabriele Vannucci
In 2002, pastry chef Gabriele Vannucci opened his ice cream shop in via Antonio Scialoja 27 rosso. The display case in carapine houses eight holes with twelve flavors per week. Alongside the classics such as pistachio, hazelnut and dark chocolate, you can find expressions of classic pastry in ice cream version, including cassata, croccantino, black forest and above all the Crema Vannucci, inspired by Malaga: a zabaglione with red vermouth with raisins macerated in red vermouth. The Vermouth used comes from the stills of Fermenthinks, the first urban distillery in Florence, with which Vannucci collaborated to create the perfect vermouth for his product line. It is then possible to taste some of Vannucci’s most famous desserts inspired by contemporary art in ice cream version: Frida, Andy Warhol, Dalì. All the flavors offered are gluten-free, as is the wafer that accompanies them, and many are also vegan.
The Sorbet Maker
Sorbeetteria was born from the idea of Antonio Ciabattoni, who at the age of 14 began working as a boy at the Brustolon family’s ice cream shop in Koblenz, Germany. A journey made up of summers spent between the laboratory and the counter, of intense training and research, but above all of instinctive passion.
A passion that turned into a job in 2007, when, together with his wife Elisa, he founded La Sorbettiera. Since 2009 he has moved to Piazza Tasso (then the shop in via Mezzetta was added) Custodian of a family tradition that began in 1934, Antonio offers artisanal “bottega” ice cream, produced starting from high-quality raw materials, chosen following the seasonality of the ingredients, but also made of experimentation and desire for novelty. This is how flavors are born that range from the great classics to lively creations, ranging from hazelnut and pistachio to lime and basil cream, inspired by pastry chef Jacque Genin, the Thai, made with lemongrass and coconut milk, up to the delicious New England 1776 (fiordilatte, maple syrup and candy bacon), fresh winner of the #Insieme200 Gelato Contest.
Caminia
Opened in 1987 in the Gavinana neighborhood, Caminia “started with the most classic flavors and yogurts served with sauces, sprinkles, grits and chocolate; then with time and experience the production was enriched with cakes, desserts, semifreddos and above all an incredible series of ice creams that expands from season to season” writes Gambero Rosso. Behind the counter are Lavinia and Camilla Mannucci (the Caminia sign comes from the crasis of the two names). The Caminia cream is famous, in its variations, and the mascarpone with salted chocolate crumble and cooked pears and the Festina Lente flavor.
Edoardo organic ice cream
It is the first certified organic ice cream shop in Tuscany and today it has two shops in two strategic points of the city: in Piazza del Duomo 45rosso and in via de’ Guicciardini 9. Here you can find in addition to the classics (one of the most popular is pistachio) , flavors such as honey and lavender, liquorice and black cherry (100% vegan), and the famous “Chianti Colli Fiorentini Docg” flavored sorbet.
The wafers on which they shape the organic ice cream are handmade, also with the highest quality ingredients. Often, when entering the shop, you can see them being prepared on the spot and then taste them while they are still hot.
Sbrino
The ice cream from Sbrino, the first “peasant ice cream factory” in Florence, “really tastes like milk”. It is prepared with milk that arrives freshly milked every morning from a Tuscan farm and is pasteurized in the shop. The flavors are given by products that represent Italian excellence and Slow Food presidia: late mandarin from Ciaculli, almonds from Toritto, pistachio from Stigliano, pure walnut from Sorrento, apricot from Rotondella. The ingredients are all natural and genuine, they come directly from local farms. Even the sorbet has a special flavour, of those of the past: it is made simply with pure spring water, sugar and fruit. Among the specialties is trifle in an ice cream cone version.
In the rest of Tuscany, the three Gambero Rosso cones were awarded to Chiccheria ice cream shop in Marina di Grosseto, De’ Coltelli in Pisa and Dondoli in San Gimignano.
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