Granita & Gelato Recommendations in Florence

Carabè in Via Ricasoli

In 1989 Antonio Lisciandro introduced to Florence real Sicilian granite and cannoli. Through the 1990s and early 2000s whenever I was in Florence in the summer, this was the one and only place to get real granita. Their no-frills shop hasn’t changed in thirty years.

Whereas many gelaterie offer granita only in the summer, at Carabe you will find some granita flavors year-round, like almond and caffe, (flavors that are multi-seasonal). One of my favorites this summer was their blackberry, mint, and lemon granita. I could have eaten it all day long when the temperatures were burning up the pavements.

To meet Antonio, you need to visit his “gelato production and training center” in the countryside near Florence (Terranuova Bracciolini), where he makes gelato and granita with fruits grown on the farm. I have to forewarn you though, his gelato is not preferred by everyone as it is leans toward icy rather than creamy, (which is typical of Sicilian style gelato), but for granita you can’t go wrong here, or at the shop in Florence.

Edoardo in Piazza del Duomo

One of my favorites of all the granite that I tried this summer was the combo I had here, of raspberry with a dash of lemon added. Edoardo is the first organic gelato shop in Tuscany and was one of the finalists in the #afirenzecigarba contest (locals voting on the best gelaterie in the city), so it’s certainly a place to check out for gelato year-round as well as for granita in the summer. Don’t confuse it with the bar next-door that is also a gelateria (of the touristy sort) which annoyingly opened right next to Edoardo.

Dei Neri in Via Dei Neri

On a street absolutely bursting with eateries and usually so packed with people that I cannot bike down it— Gelateria dei Neri is bound to have a line in high season, so I prefer going at calmer times. The staff is exceedingly friendly and generous in my experience. Their gelato and granita is all made on the premises with attention to artisanal methods. The owner told me they are most proud of their winter flavor: Cremino alla Nocciola (similar to nutella but better) and their summer flavor: Ricotta e Fichi (Ricotta and figs).

This cheesecake gelato looked amazing on the recent evening I was there, but I stuck with granita.

Earlier in the summer at Neri I had a bergamot granita with a dash of orange added, which got a major thumbs up from me. Recently I tried their coffee granita and it was nicely creamy unlike one I tried at a gelateria which not make the cut, as the coffee granita had too many large pieces of ice in it. By the way, panna (whipped cream) can be added to the coffee granita, and the homemade whipped cream at these artisanal gelaterie does not tend to be as sugary as whipped cream in the US.

Proccopio in Via Pietrapiana

Here I tried a watermelon granita (with lemon added— yes I am a sucker for lemon granita!) The watermelon is certainly refreshing although I decided I don’t love watermelon as a flavor as much as some other fruit flavors.

The generous owner gave me a sample of their almond granita. This is a flavor with a far more particular taste. It’s not as refreshing as the fruit flavors but for something really Sicilian it’s worth trying. Proccopio does it well. The almond flavor is striking—almost as if there’s almond extract in it, but in fact the strength of the flavor is purely from the nuts.

Run by a husband and wife who won the 2011 Gelato Festival, their signature gelato flavors are: Il Procopio (pistachio, almond, candied orange) and Folla del Procopio (cream, caramelized figs, pine nuts, toasted almonds).

 

 Pintucci in Piazza di Porta Romana (across the river)

This is a new gelateria, run by the excellent bakery of the same name, a few doors down. The space has an inviting modern look, and boasts a seating area. For their gelato they use milk from the Palagiaccio Farm in the Mugello—which is also used by other locales in Florence who care about high quality such as the Ditta Artigianale coffee shop.

I asked about the bright green mint color of their mint gelato, and the gelato maker agreed with me that in reality, mint gelato does not come out green. She said that customers want it to be green so they add a “mint paste.” Apart from that swerve, their gelato is highly regarded by locals and in fact, due to the location, this place caters more to locals than to tourists.

Their granite have the right texture and are made with seasonal ingredients. Also available here are semifreddi (ice cream cakes) and milkshakes and smoothies. If you’re craving a gelato delivery when you’re in Florence, Pintucci delivers in biodegradable containers (which I am thrilled to see is finally becoming a “thing” in some parts of Italy).

Lastly, a note about how discern quality gelato. This is important because the streets in the center of Florence have plenty of tourist-trap gelato places. Don’t go for bright fake-looking colors or gelato that’s piled high and looks fluffy, which means it has weird fillers and artificial coloring. Look for gelaterie with signs saying artigianale, and senza conservativi, or just follow my recommendations here.

Quality gelato should taste clean, not cloying. Be sure you’re not looking for a sugar rush, and instead are looking for the clean taste of pure and natural ingredients, and please per l’amore di Dio, avoid gelato that looks like this: