The Scoop on the 2017 Gelato Festival

April 21 – 25:  GELATO FESTIVAL.  Piazzale Michelangelo.

Here in Florence, the birthplace of gelato thanks to Bernardo Buontalenti, the best of the best makers from around the world will showdown in a summer long festival until one is finally be crowned the creator of the BEST gelato in Europe.

The delicious and creamy delight has captured the heart of the whole world – salted caramels and rich fruit concoctions make tourists want to burst into song on the streets, while a scoop of creamy pistachio on a waffle cone has been known to make tears fall from sheer delight.

In its eighth year, the festival just keeps getting bigger. The first weekend will be held at Florence’s panoramic Piazzale Michelangelo before moving to Rome April 29 – May 1, Torino May 25- 28, and Milan June 1 – 4. The next rounds of competition will be held in London’s Spitalfields Market June 16 – 18, Warsaw June 22 – 25, before reaching Hamburg July 28 – 30.

At each city of the tour, 16 master gelatieri will present their very best flavors to the hardest judges of them all: the public. Guests at the festival get to vote for their favorite creations, making every man, woman and child the ones to impress.

With only a simple ticket, anyone can be the world’s most influential gelato critic for the day. The two highest voted gelato flavors from each city will enter the final competition: the grand finale taste test here Florence from September 14 to 17.

Replacing the Gelato Card from previous festivals, guests can purchase a wristband that grants access to all amenities.

Admission will also give guests access to gelato making demonstrations where they can see first hand the daring and exciting combinations of today’s foremost treat experts. The festival will also be home to three gelato trucks, named Buontalenti (for gelato’s founding father), I Ruggieri, and Catherine de ’Medici – a matriarch of the family who served the first gelato – a base of icy cream, egg yolk, and honey.

One of the finalists for this year competition is Lucia Cosentino from Gelateria Marrons Glacès in Catanzaro, Calabria. She is bringing is her creation Nonna Rosa, a captivating combination of creamed mascarpone, bits of rice flour biscotti, topped with freshly picked strawberries and homemade syrup.

Competition is guaranteed to be steep, and it won’t be easy to choose a favorite, but to taste the best gelato in the world while looking out from the world’s most beautiful view? That’s priceless. (tessa lucia debole)