Florence’s Best Gelato

Refresh yourself with a scoop of a rich, fresh, and crisp gelato on one of Florence’s many hot, sweltering days.

Marco Ottavian’s authentic gelato (via Matteo Palmieri 34/R) is found near Santa Croce.  His shop, Gelato Gourmet, has a friendly and welcoming atmosphere.

Marco Ottavian, also known as Chef Ottavian, is the man behind the creation of unforgettable delightful flavors of gelato. He and his wife are originally from Rome, but moved to Florence in 1994.

He always does his best in his work, so that he can provide his customers with quality gelato. Marco’s passion for creating the perfect balance of gelato is shared with many, including foreign students who come to learn how to make artisanal gelato in his own laboratory. Some of the most popular flavors are White Coffee, and Pistachio.  There are flavors specially made for diabetics.

He makes his gelato from scratch, and he ensures that every ingredient that goes into making the gelato is fresh. Marco guarantees genuineness, seasonality, goodness, and quality gelato. Each bite of the flavor is so rich; it will awaken your taste palate and bring sheer delight!

He always had a passion for baking and wanted to pursue his dream of opening a gelato shop with his wife one day.  In order to make his dream become a reality, he took two years off from his physical therapy equipment company to attend Università Internazionale del Gelato Carpigiani. There are three courses provided; Marco completed all of them.  The first is the Introductory Course, which teaches people how to make gelato based on a pre-made base. Then there is the Intermediate Course, and lastly the Advanced Course.

Interestingly, very few people move up to the advanced course. That means a lot of gelato shops around the world are likely to be using a pre-made base. Only about nine people, including Marco, continued onto the Advanced Course from a group of 35 people.

After finishing, he began an internship at a gelato laboratory; then he opened Gelato Gourmet in Florence.  Ever since, he has been producing his gelato in his laboratory, which is right behind the shop.

Marco’s gelato shop has a special treat for students; ask for their Sweet Card, and after several purchases, you can receive free gelato!  A cup of gelato costs 2 euro for the small, 3 euro for the medium, 4 euro for large; it is additional fifty cents more for the cones.  There are also wafer and wafer baskets ranging from 4 – 5 euro depending on how many scoops you get.

Gelato Gourmet is open daily from 11 am to 10 pm.   The family dog, Milla,  joyfully paces around the shop giving customers some entertainment and company on a regular basis.  (katie parks)