Here’s an update on our ongoing challenge to determine which of Vista Magazine’s suggestions for gelati, ice cream in Florence, we consider the best. Our sampling last week included 2. The first one was Carabé. It’s owned by Sicilians, so includes some typical granite, slushes alongside the normal offerings. We opted for gelati. Emerson sampled the fichi, fig and a second flavor, pistachio. I had a half scoop of mandorla, almond and another of nocciola, hazelnut. Of his two flavors, we each preferred the pistachio. Of my two flavors, we agreed that the nocciola was the best. Then on to Gelateria dei Neri.

We crossed town and found Neri very close to Piazza Santa Croce. The interior was charming, so we felt as though our 15 minute walk had already been rewarded. Em selected ricotta and alongside, prugne, dried plum. I opted for the same ricotta flavor, alongside their signature gelato, Crema di Giotto, which is a blend of coconut with caramel and chopped nuts. Although the caramel and nuts were very light additions, the coconut was tasty enough to carry the flavor. Em thought the ice cream was a bit on the creamy side, but still agreed that of the two gelaterie we sampled, last week’s winner was Neri.

So, the 2 that had risen to the top after last week, were Veneta from week one, and Neri. We went into town again on Saturday to check out the final 2 listed in Vista: Vestri and Rivareno, which are on the same street. At Vestri, I wanted to try Vista’srecommendation, chocolate almond. In my hometown of Middletown, Ohio, a store called United Dairy Farmers opened down the street from my house and we bought milk and ice cream there. Well, guess what my favorite flavor was? Right, chocolate almond. So I walked into Vestri with the intention of comparing theirs with my home town favorite. Well, as luck would have it, chocolate almond was NOT one of the daily featured flavors. No. Not available. What?! I was primed for the taste.

But it was not to be. We had already decided on sharing a single small cup with two spoons because we really didn’t want that much gelato. I know that lots of people could eat a mountain of it, but I’m NOT one of them. So we had half a cup of nocciolaand one of their other signature flavors, crema fiorentina, which is an equal blend of vanilla and lemon.  The flavor was reminiscent of a creamsicle from my childhood. Cool, creamy and refreshing on a hot summer day. Yes, it was mighty tasty, but not the chocolate almond I was hoping for.

Then on to Rivareno. At our final stop, we opted for a signature flavor, Leonardo, which is toasted pine nuts for half the cup and a rarity: crema with balsamico, vanilla topped with balsamic vinegar. We had tasted that combination in Modena, home of balsamico and so were no strangers to the delightful combination. The friendly clerk scooped a generous portion into our cup and then drizzled balsamico on top. It looked like a traditional sundae, but it wasn’t. It was good, but the Leonardo flavor was better. Toasting the pine nuts gave them a particularly nutty taste that was really nice. We decided not to declare a winner for the third week.

We also decided to skip Grom, since it’s just a couple of doors down from our favorite bookstore, The Paperback Exchange, which means that we’ve gotten gelato there more than a few times. Their salted caramel is irresistable, but we wanted to try different gelaterie, so side-stepped Grom this time around.

So here’s what we’ve decided: We can’t disagree with Vista’s listing. We might add a couple more. For example, there’s a small gelateria very near the Ponte Vecchio, called Gelateria delle Carrozze, coaches (as in horse-drawn). They offer a coffee chocolate chip that’s pretty yummy. Sometimes they even have peanut butter flavor, which is unusual and always tasty. Carrozze is a walk-up ice cream bar—no need to go inside. Another good one is in Piazza Cure, called Gelateria Cavini, which is “across the train tracks” on the way up to San Domenico and Fiesole. I enjoyed their cioccolato messicano, Mexican chocolate a couple of years ago and still remember being wowed. Chocolate infused with cinnamon. Quite good.

We thought it was odd that the perpetual favorite Vivoli was missing from the list, as well as Perche No? and Innocenti (across the Arno). And of course, there are even more. In fact, the real difficulty in gelato comparisons is that it’s all about your own personal preference.

If you love chocolate ice cream, you’ll find many, many chocolates to enjoy. If you love pistachio flavor, look around—pistachio gelato is waiting practically around every corner. My personal favorite is noce,walnut. Well, the walnut harvest season has not yet arrived, so right now, it’s relatively difficult to find. But, I’m sure it’ll be a featured flavor within the next few weeks.

The best part about gelato in Florence is, well . . . you’re in Florence. If you aren’t swept up by the beauty and the wonder of the city, you haven’t looked around. It seems that almost everything tastes better in Italy. As you know, the Italians call their city Firenze. It’s a wonderful name I think because it sounds a bit like frenzy. For sure, my pulse quickens when we go into town. There’s so much to see and do. So much art and passion. And the gelato . . . well that’s just the finishing touch, simply icing on the cake, topping on the sundae.

Posted on September 25, 2011