The best gelateria in Florence

Gelateria Badiani (20 Viale dei Mille, tel: 055 578 682). As hotly debated among Florentines as where to get the best artichokes in season or which is the best pizzeria is the eternal debate about the best gelateria in town. Ice cream – like so many comestibles in Italy – has been raised to an art form, and just good is not good enough. Those who really know head out of the city centre to Gelateria Badiani, famous for its Buontalenti flavour – named for the Renaissance architect Bernardo Buontalenti and unique to Badiani. The mass of Florentines crowding the pavement on a hot summer night bears testament to the Badiani’s superiority.