1st Gelateria In Florence: Vivoli!

   After eating a massive lunch at Trattoria Marione, we wandered around Florence a bit until I dragged Yuki in the direction of Perche No! (Why not!), a gelateria I'd read about and knew was in the area we happened to be in. Ok, so I kind of made sure we were in that area, I'll admit it.
  Unfortunately, they were closed for the day, but a wonderful man who owned the leather goods shop next door then directed us to Vivoli, another quite famous gelateria that's rumored to be THE gelateria in Florence. Seeing as it was already on my list, off we went.  Located near Basilica di Santa Croce, it's a bit harder to find than I'd thought it would be. If the leather goods man hadn't shown us the exact location on the map, I might not have found it (horror!).
  The address is: Via dell' Isola delle Stinche, 7r. The easiest way to get to it is this: while looking at Santa Croce from Via de Benci/Via Giuseppe Verdi, turn around and locate Via Torta, which will be a bit to your right when your back is to Santa Croce. Go down Via Torte until you reach the first cross road. I don't think there are any street signs, but this will be Via dell' Isola della Stinche. Turn right and you'll see Vivoli on the left. Easy!
  Now, for Vivoli itself. We arrived expecting a huge line, seeing as this was supposed to be the best gelateria in Florence, but there was only 1 family ahead of us. We quickly discovered that we had to pay for our gelato at the cash register first, then take our receipts over to the counter to be served. I can't remember the cost offhand, but Yuki and I both got a medium-sized cup. (No cones here at Vivoli). Vivoli takes pride in serving fresh gelato daily, made on-site, and also in not serving cones, apparently.
 We were able to sit down inside at a little table, but seating is a bit cramped, and I'm guessing during full tourist season you'd be hard-pressed to find a resting space inside.
 Sadly, I've already forgotten all of the flavors we ordered (3 per cup so 6 in all), but I do know we got sesame, hazelnut, and some insanely decadent chocolate. I've also read that the caramel pear is great, but we didn't try it.
  Everything we tasted was fresh and wonderful, but Yuki declared it a bit 'too' sweet afterward. I was ready to go back to next day for more, but we decided to try Perche No! instead. And am I ever glad we did. More on them in the next post!

                                        Vivoli

                                                    Good gelato at last!

                                   One of our 3-flavor cups: black sesame, chocolate, and...something creamy....