Vivoli, the oldest, still-active gelato or ice-cream parlor in Florence, was born as a dairy in 1930 and became an ice-cream shop in 1932. The gelato is so good because of its perfect texture and creaminess, across the entire range of flavors.
I brought my daughter, Caterina, to enjoy her first gelato at Vivoli, and with her fervent desire to know, she asked me, “How is gelato made?” I started telling her gelato’s story:
Long ago ice cream was a drink made of snow, honey and fruit… “Like a slush?” Caterina interrupted. “Yes,” I nodded. I then told her about a sweet cake, candiero, invented by Bernardo Buontalenti for the court of Medici in 1500, based on eggs, milk, cream, and a drop of wine all in a glass with ice. It’s known as Buontalenti Cream today.
Finally, I explained to Caterina that there were no refrigerators long ago and that ice was brought from the mountains and kept in ice houses. To make gelato, the creamy mixture was placed in a metal container that was then put inside a wooden jar or cask with ice and salt placed between the two receptacles to slowly cool the ingredients. The metal container would be turned while a spatula scraped the ingredients to keep them cold. It was tiring work, but the result was a wonderful creamy dough that in modern times is called ice-cream or gelato.
With that infinite ability to wonder, Caterina listened to the whole story in silence and finished her gelato, leaving not even a drop in her cup. With her mouth still soiled with chocolate and with joy in her eyes, the fateful question came: “Can we make home-made gelato?!”
