Venchi

I was told that this gelato shop was the best to get chocolate flavored gelato. So I ordered their Nocciolato Latte and Cuor di Cacao flavors. Their Cuor di Cacao flavor definitely had a strong chocolate flavor that was very good. I can see why people came here for the chocolate flavor.
Sadly I saw this girl’s gelato fall onto her lap ruining her outfit!!! Poor girl!!! She had to clean herself off with Italy’s cheap napkins that felt like plastic. :’(
Oddly enough, the shop didn’t take credit cards despite classy décor they had going on (yes, a classy décor correlates with the ability to take credit cards). So I almost couldn’t order, but luckily I had enough cash on me for it.
This gelato was great way to end my trip to Italy.

Delicious gelato, and right in the center of Florence! The shop is so cute, FILLED with chocolate, which is always a good sign. The chocolate «faucet» is my personal favorite… I went with the nougat flavor. It was sweet, roasty and nutty, with the slight crunch of almonds and caramelized sugar. The texture is very classically gelato, with that slight stretch to it. Very yummy, a perfect after dinner treat on a hot night. I’ll definitely be back!

Large store with Ice Cream and chocolate!
We got the Crème and Chocolate — tasted like chocolate hazelnut and crème.
Friendly staff, and there’s a small bench inside with AC, perfect on a hot day!
(Late post — July 2105)

Venchi is foremost a chocolate company, founded in the late 19^th century, that as of 2006 has made a foray into the world of Gelato. Since opening their first gelateria, they have expanded to over 50 locations in Italy and abroad. There are multiple stores throughout Firenze, but this one is the largest in the area that I’ve found.
Venchi’s product is an assortment of gelato flavors, and chocolate based products such as their crepes. These products use their in-​house chocolate that has a hazelnut undertone. For an add on fee, you can request the addition of the chocolate to the inside of a gelato cone. The gelato here is of very high quality and simply beats out some of the local gelaterias in the immediate area. On a recent visit I tried their cappuccino flavor with chocolate added to the cone. One scoop is enough, as the gelato is airy but quite rich. Take note that to order, you need to pay first, then move down the bar to place your order. When I visited most customers (tourists) did not realize this, leading to some chaos on a crowded Sunday evening.
While I would normally recommend that you visit a local neighborhood gelato shop over a chain, the product and professional presentation of Venchi makes it worth a visit if you are in need of Gelato and near one of their many Firenze shops.

AMAZING ICE CREAM. I didn’t know what to get so I just asked what the girl behind the counter liked. She recommended two amazing flavors. I forgot the names but they look like the ones in my picture One was deliciously hazelnutty. Maybe gianduja? I wanted more with every bite. I also wanted to go back and get more but I already had another cone earlier. Definitely the best in Florence.
They’re also known for their chocolates. I got three random ones to try. They were good but not out of this world good.

I tried two flavors. stracciatela and nougat. the stracciatela was very good but for the nougat I really couldn’t tell whether I was having vanilla or something else. I would recommend adding the melted chocolate in. the cone. it was an extra 0.50 euros but it was really good way to finish off my gelato.

Amazing gelato! Don’t even bother asking to taste test. The line here is crazy but it’s well worth the chaos. Whatever flavors you get you will love!

La misión era encontrar el mejor gelato de Florencia. Y sí que le dedicamos tiempo a esta labor. Durante el viaje probamos a diario en distintas heladerías; las muy famosas, las escondidas, las mejor calificadas en las guías o simplemente las que se nos atravesaron en el camino. Hubo buenos contrincantes. Pero no superaron el sabor, textura y elección de sabores de esta heladería (cadena, ni modo, hay que admitirlo) que se especializa en el chocolate (la empresa es una chocolatería fundada en 1878). Obviamente los más pedidos son aquellos sabores chocolatosos como el Cremino, Brutto & Buono, o Crema Venchi. Pero si no eres tan fan del helado a base de cacao (como yo) hay unas opciones deliciosas como mascarpone con higos o mascarpone con miel y nueces, o caramelo, pistache o el clásico limón (de Sicilia). Ya se me hizo agua la boca.

The sorbet was just what I needed on this hot summer day. There are a couple located around the city. They constantly have a line up inside which says something. They also have a large assortment of chocolates that look amazing. The ice cream is worth the detour!

Just the smell of this place is enough to make your mouth water… chocolate heaven. That’s before you even see the impressive selection of gelato flavors.
They do limit the number of flavors you can get for a given size (two for a small, three for a medium, four for a large), which is a bit of a bummer, but the flavors are delicious and everything is really high quality.
They also offer a great selection of chocolate bars, crepes, and coffee.

Was walking around when I turn and see what looked like chocolate heaven. Anything chocolate will make me stop! Went in and saw gelato so I had to try it. I’ve been on a gelato spree in Florence and well, I had higher hopes for this one.
GELATO:
Unico Caramel (3.5 stars): not much caramel flavor. I did like the crunchy bits in it.
Dark chocolate (3.5 stars): I love dark chocolate and this was pretty good, rich, but the texture just wasn’t as good as the others I’ve had in Florence.
It was hard to tell what all the favors were. Some were in English, some not. Maybe I chose the wrong ones. I didn’t really see anyone buying chocolates, everyone was going for the gelato.

They’re known for their chocolates but gelato is equally good, though it’s pricier than at other places.

This place. It’s like a luxurious candyland. Their chocolates are smooth and creamy with interesting flavors including tiramisu, crème brûlée… Also their cappuccinos are superb. Im sure their gelato was doubly amazing but we didnt get to try any!

Ignore all the other gelato places in Florence and just come here for your daily fix. I love their chocolate cherry and this is a flavour I am not particularly fond of to begin with. But this shop gets it right and the result is a combination that highlights the best of both ingredients.
The staff are also super nice and patient and all speak reasonable English. I would be coming here everyday if lived in this city.

Venchi Vencci Venki!
The struggle was real, when it came to getting the name right! But who cares because it was delicious any way I pronounced it. It used to be a chocolate shop but now they are franchising in the world of gelato. Do yourself a favor and skip on other flavors and get the chocolate kind. I got addicted to this delicious blend of chocolate noughtine. YUM SO GOOD!
The only downside is that they are a bit more expensive. And they charge extra for whipped cream which is crazy because its not even that good. I still shamelessly barged in on three different occasions for that chocolate gelato, sooooo yeah…
Tip: You have to make a purchase of more than 5 euro for them to charge your card. So keep loose change/​cash handy.

Words can’t even describe my feelings for their gelato! I DIE to have this again. By far the best gelato I have ever had!!!
MUST TRY!:
Hazelnut chocolate
–OMG to die for, if you don’t get this you should be ashamed of yourself. The best way to describe the flavor is similar to the ferrero chocolates. The coat of chocolate that smothers the gelato was deliciously smooth. It taste like a blend between dark and milk chocolate, which is good for those who think dark chocolate is too biter and milk chocolate too sweet.
You will be a fool if you do not stop by and have some, I repeat a fool!

This ice cream was delicious, one of the best I have tasted so far in Firenze. We found it under a very heavy rain by chance (lucky us), and it was like finding heaven. The place was crowded even though it was already cold outside and the ice cream season had ended a long time ago. The place also sell chocolate and «marrons glacés» which is a wonderful idea. It is a quite elegant place but prices are reasonable: 2,5 euros for one taste with a cone.
I tasted an amazing ice cream I will not forgot for a long time: nougatine, which was like eating a delicious cake not totally cooked, tasty, unforgettable, maybe one of the best I have eaten in my life. With that, the «fiore di latte» was a nice (a bit lighter) addition and the mix was like perfection. Also, the cone was of good quality and not tasting like plastic as they often do unfortunately.
I found this place by chance but now that I know the way, I will be back for more.

One of my favorite gelato places in Italy! This is one of the more popular spots in Florence. After dying in the heat nothing beats the satisfaction of some cold sweet and creamy goodness. They prices are a little higher than most other Italian gelato shops, but everyone raves about this one so it was a must try.
Flavors — I tried the hazelnut and crema which were both delicioso. Perfect size for sharing if you get two flavors.
This shop is known for their chocolate as well. Didn’t get a chance to buy any bc I didn’t want it to melt as soon as I stepped out, But I also spotted the Venchi brand chocolate at the duty free store at the airport.
Oh how I miss the gelato!

Don’t get me wrong, I LOVED the flavor I got here (brutto e buono; like a hazelnut flavor with bits of hazelnut chunks in it), but a mini size for 2.5 euro in a cup or cone (you’re only allowed one flavor) is a little steep for my budget. There are way more gelaterias out there in Florence that have amazing quality gelato with bigger portions for the price. Venchi is worth trying, only if you’re shopping in the area and avoiding the generic, piled-​high, touristy gelato. Since Venchi is a chocolate shop, go for the chocolate flavors. Also a small tip: you pay first before ordering your gelato, then you give your receipt to the workers and then they tend to your needs. They also have coffee, crepes, or brioche with gelato here.
Everything in this store is slightly pricey because it’s a well-​known chocolate shop in Italy and it’s smack on the tourist block. I’ve seen this shop in Rome and Venice already, so you’re bound to run into one unexpectedly if you’re touring other cities in Italy. They have a huge selection of unique chocolate, in bulk or you can purchase bars at the counter. If you want white, dark with different percentages of cacao, or plain milk chocolate, I suggest buying Venchi bars at other retailers because it’s cheaper. But you know, if you want to bring back Venchi products back to your respective hometowns straight from the shop, by all means go for it.

Ice cream café chains are sprouting like mushrooms in ice cream’s homeland Italy.
Venchi used to be a famous chocolate maker in Turin, now they are expanding in the ice cream market and opening up stores all over the place.
Venchi offers at least 4 different types of chocolate ice cream, and they are all, needless to say, fantastic.

I decided that I don’t like the way the ground floor of Venchi is set up… you have people who don’t understand gelato etiquette and wonder why no one is helping them, then you have other people who just cut the queue and order… can’t do it! I think Venchi needs a better way of organizing things.
Anyway, I was in the area shopping and I thought I would stop in again and try a couple different flavors. This time I tried Fantasia del Gelato and their Unico Caramel. I have to say that I kind of found both to be… underwhelming. I liked the crunchy bits that came in both and thought those (I think they were hazelnuts) added some great character and flavor, but the gelato itself was just ok. In fact, I tried the Unico Caramel first because I figured the chocolate of the other would overpower it… I had to take a second bite because I didn’t really get much flavor. The Fantasia del Gelato, the chocolate I liked a bit more than the Aztec Chocolate, but I think I can confidently say that Venchi is not my favourite and that I will probably trek elsewhere for my gelato.

La boutique me faisait de l’oeil par son côté chic et simple. Une fois à l’intérieur, une odeur de chocolat et de praline se diffuse dans le magasin tout entier car non seulement propose des glaces mais aussi des chocolats.
La glacé au stracciatella était magique, on sentait bien le chocolat et le lait. Celle à la pêche, né regorgeait pas de colorant (j’ai d’ailleurs pensé à une erreur quand j’ai vu qu’elle n’avait pas une couleur orange), pas trop sucrée et avait bien le goût du fruit.
The shop was very clean and classy, it smells very good and chocolatey once you’re inside.
The stracciatella ice cream was so tasty and the peach one has no chemical taste.