Cantina del Gelato Il Gelato Artigianale — Restaurant in Florence

The best gelato I’ve ever had in my life—hands down! During my time in Italy, I tried countless gelaterias across different cities (and truly enjoyed them all), but La Cantina del Gelato in Florence completely stole my heart.

Florence is known as the birthplace of gelato, and this place is a perfect example of why. While you can find good Italian food almost anywhere in the world, Italian gelato is something I still miss deeply now that I’m back home. This one especially—I would go back just to have it again.

I’ve recommended this spot to friends who visited after me, and they’ve loved it so much they went back twice during the same trip.

It’s located just across the Ponte Vecchio, on the quieter side of Florence—very close to where we stayed. It’s the perfect stop either before or after walking up to Piazzale Michelangelo.

Besides gelato, they also offer crepes you can customize however you like. I ordered one with Nutella, banana, and strawberries, topped with lemon and dark chocolate gelato. The chocolate gelato in Italy is truly special—rich, intense, and almost bitter in the best way. It’s thick, dense, and coats your mouth in flavor—something I haven’t experienced anywhere else, even in countries where I’ve also found great gelato.

The woman who served us was incredibly kind, the place is beautiful, and if I could give more than five stars, I absolutely would. I can’t wait to go back to Florence and visit this gelateria again. Highly, highly...

Cantina del Gelato has some of the best acai bowls in town — if you catch the right staff member. I’ve been here multiple times, and it’s a bit like playing dessert-themed Russian roulette: two out of three employees make your bowl like they’re crafting edible art with love, joy, and an aggressive handful of strawberries. The third one? She scoops like she’s rationing fruit during a world crisis and personally footing the bill for every topping. Still good, just… emotionally distant.

The peanut butter gelato? Delicious — creamy, nutty, and worth every bite. The pistachio, however, felt like it lost the will to live halfway through production. If you’re a die-hard pistachio fan, maybe keep walking.

Still, the vibe is nice, the acai hits the spot (when the stars align), and I keep coming back hoping I get one of the generous fruit fairies behind...

The only thing I can say is that they serve delicious ice cream.

It might even be the best ice cream I ever tasted because the flavors where pure. You really could taste the flavor you chose.

It wasn't a flavor you could taste in the background, but it was like you where eating a chocolate mousse for example if you chose chocolate as flavor.

A tip I do want to give to people is this: do NOT eat ice cream that is neatly stacked behind glass. This ice cream is full of sugar and is not real authentic Italian ice cream. Real authentic Italian ice cream is not visible behind glass, but is stored in (cylindrical) containers and out of sight of your eyes.

I know where to get my ice cream whenever I will be back in Florence.

Oh and one other thing: the employees where very...