I can officially leave Florence a happy person. You may be asking did she find a hot Italian? Is she fluent in the language? Did she see the David and realize the passion and need for expression that drove the Renaissance into the history books? The answer to all of the above is no. I can leave Florence now because I have found the best gelato the land has to offer. I have tried many, judged on consistency, variety of flavors, taste of flavors (with after eight mint as my constant), and cost. Gellateria De Carraia is the golden gem of gelato shops. It has a ton of flavors, including the classics and such wonderful surprises as chocolate orange (Ellen's favorite), Mojito, Nutella and Yogurt swirl, and my two favorites after eight mint and creme de caramel. A small is only a euro and it is not small!
While we have a gelato stand directly below us, it manufactures cheap, tourist aimed gelato which they do not even pretend is homemade. De Carraia on the other hand is about a fifteen minute walk across the river and to the right, making it an adventure to new lands (and making me feel like I am burning off some of the calories). Located right next to a giant church and a convent, this is lucky for the nuns since I bet they do not have much free time and need convenience when going on ice cream runs. The church next door is as plain as can be on the outside, lacking a facade and any ornatment except a dome and a cross. But inside it is alive with pastel frescoes which manage to be light and airy yet never tacky or ostentatious. The statues are integrated in the paintings and the dome makes the church seem much larger than it is.
Of course why would one care about an ancient church when there are gelato flavors to be sampled.
Here is a math problem (or maybe a diet problem). If I am visiting you for seven days, and there are 30 gelato flavors to try, can I have two after lunch and two after dinner? That only makes 28. Do I start with the flavors I know I'll love to do I start with the unknown and finish with something fantastic and familiar? Chocolate orange sounds like those yummy orange shaped chocolate oranges that you crack open at Christmas time. I love those!!! And I can order a small so I don't feel guilty but it's still huge???? YEAH! Good job, Sarah. You can come home happy now.
ReplyDeleteI think the point of this post was to explain about churches. I think that gelatto talk was just a red herring :-)
ReplyDeleteWhen I visit Florence, I am going to pretend I'm intersted in the church, but really keep sampling different flavors. Creme de le Caramel?! YUM!
ReplyDeleteSounds like an amazing place you've found-- why should you mom stop at four a day when she's out for a week? (Does this mean that when you return, you'll be too good for Yodipity at Dan's?)
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