Eating Florence: Vegan Gelato

As I said in my first blog from Florence, if I had known I wouldn't be able to eat Gelato when I was applying to study abroad, I probably wouldn't have chosen the gelato capital of the world as my location.  But here's the best news in the whole world (really): you don't have to give up gelato when you give up dairy!  It is in no way necessary, even in Florence.

I used to love ice cream.  When I was little, I would make up songs to convince my parents to take me to Dairy Queen on the way home from school.  I wish I was kidding.  Gelato is like ice cream's cuter big sister that everyone likes more but is a little less approachable.  Gelato is a really big deal.

However, ice cream and gelato have this cousin who could definitely be as popular as gelato but she has a bad rep. because her mom is a weirdo.  Her name is Sorbet and we are in love.

The sorbet here is not like the sorbet in America.  Other than the fruity flavor, you can't tell the difference between that and regular gelato.  I highly recommend you give it a try, even if you normally eat dairy.

So far, I've had Strawberry (fragola), Pear (pera), Lemon (limone), mixed berry (frutto di busco), and chocolate (cioccolato).  To be honest I feel like a real fruit talking about sorbet in so much detail, so I'll just say that all of them were amazing.  Pear is my favorite.

If you're looking for dairy free gelato that isn't sorbet, there are also a few places to get gelato made with milk alternatives.  Perche No? Gelateria offers a few soy-based flavors, for example.  I got hazelnut and chocolate, and was pretty pleased.  Just make sure you know how to get there: I went into a pizzeria and said, "Dov'e perche no gelateria?"  To which the man responded in broken English, "We don't have gelato because this is a pizzeria."  :|

Another gelato place I have found that has dairy alternative flavors is Gelateria Dei Neri, near Santa Croce.  They offer a few rice-based flavors, which I never knew existed.  Rice-based products are more common here than they are in America.  This was my favorite of the three.

The last location is Festival Del Gelato, near Piazza Della Reppublica.  They offer a few soy-based flavors in addition to their sorbet.  However, their flavors "senza latte" are also "senza zucchero," as in  "without added sugar."  If that is something that interests you, Festival Del Gelato is the place to go.  But I found it a little disappointing.

When you go to these or any gelato stores, look for labels that say "senza latte" or "senza latticini," meaning without milk or diary.  To make sure, you can say, "Questo è senza latte?" - this doesn't have milk?  To ask which flavors don't have dairy, say: "Qual i sapore non hanno latticini?"  It's really easy, just practice.

I hope that this has inspired you to try the multitude of dairy-free dessert options here in Florence, and also helped to subdue the discouraging feeling of being unable to participate in elements of culture while you travel.  Like I said in previous blogs, I am doing my best to maintain optimum health while also participating wholeheartedly in the culture of the locations I visit, and I know you can do the same.