Vivoli has been making gelato on Via Isola delle Stinche since 1929, in a street that formerly housed the medieval city prison (the Stinche). It is the oldest continuously operating gelateria in Florence and maintains a reputation — not without competition from newer establishments — for being among the finest. The shop is always recognisable by the queue, and by the wall of signed photographs from visiting celebrities and dignitaries that lines the interior.
Vivoli does not serve cones: the gelato comes in cups only, in a range of sizes. The riso (rice), crema, and fruit flavours are consistently praised; the chocolate and coffee are also strong. The shop makes no pretence of modernity — it is a functioning gelateria of the old school, busy, slightly chaotic, and entirely focused on the product. A cup of gelato from Vivoli, eaten on the nearby Piazza Santa Croce or a doorstep in the neighbourhood, is as close to an essential Florence experience as the city offers.