Vivoli
Vivoli has no cones. The ice cream comes in a cup, as it did in 1932, in a small shop in a lane that you would not find unless you were looking for it.
- What it is
- Gelateria
- Opened
- 1929, as a dairy: the ice cream came in 1932
- Area
- Santa Croce
- Nearest museum
- Bargello National Museum, 200 m
Florence this week
What Vivoli is known for
Cups only
The house serves its ice cream in cups, in the old way, and makes it on the premises from milk, cream, eggs and fruit.
The ice from the mountains
Before refrigerators, the ice was brought down every day from the Apennines.
The flood
The Arno flood of 1966 destroyed the machines and the old fittings. The shop was rebuilt and reopened the next year.
What to know
- The Vivoli dairy opened in 1929, and Raffaello Vivoli began making ice cream in 1932
- Three minutes on foot from Santa Croce
- It is on the city's list of historic businesses
Where Vivoli is
Address
Via dell'Isola delle Stinche 7r50122 Florence, Italy
Nearest station
Santa Maria Novella, about 1.2 kilometres away
Museums and sights nearby
- Bargello National Museum200 m
- Basilica of Santa Croce250 m
- Palazzo Vecchio300 m
- Uffizi Galleries450 m
- Florence Cathedral500 m
Distances are in a straight line from the restaurant.
A dairy that turned to ice cream
Serafino Vivoli's family, from Pelago, opened a dairy here in 1929, selling milk, coffee and cream. In 1932 his brother Raffaello began to make ice cream. By the 1960s the foreign guidebooks were sending their readers here, and they have not stopped.
Vivoli: common questions
- Where is Vivoli?
- At Via dell'Isola delle Stinche 7r, in Santa Croce, Florence. The nearest station is Santa Maria Novella, about 1.2 kilometres away.
- Which museums and sights are near Vivoli?
- Bargello National Museum is 200 m away, Basilica of Santa Croce is 250 m away, Palazzo Vecchio is 300 m away. Distances are in a straight line from the restaurant.
- What is Vivoli known for?
- Cups only, The ice from the mountains, The flood. The oldest ice cream shop in Florence, in a back street near Santa Croce, made by the same family since the 1930s.
- When did Vivoli open?
- In 1929, as a dairy: the ice cream came in 1932. The Vivoli dairy opened in 1929, and Raffaello Vivoli began making ice cream in 1932.
What visitors say about Vivoli
Rating from Google
Tickets and tours near Vivoli
Things to do near Vivoli
The nearest of this site's best things to do in the city. Distances are in a straight line.
- 9See Donatello's David at the Bargello200 m awayMuseum, 1.3 to 2 hours, ticket
- 11Find Michelangelo's and Galileo's tombs in Santa Croce250 m awayChurch, 1 to 1.8 hours, ticket
- 4Walk the halls of the Palazzo Vecchio300 m awayMonument, 1.5 to 2.5 hours, square free, ticket for the palace
- 12See the real Gates of Paradise at the Opera del Duomo Museum400 m awayMuseum, 1.5 to 2 hours, ticket
Artists to see near Vivoli
The museums nearest to here, and the most famous artists on show in each.
Bargello National Museum, 200 m away
Basilica of Santa Croce, 250 m away
Hotels near Vivoli
The five-star hotels closest to it, of those this site lists in Florence. Distances are in a straight line.
- Hotel Bernini Palace4.7Five-star hotel, Piazza della Signoria200 m away
- Palazzo Portinari Salviati4.8Five-star hotel, Via del Corso300 m away
- Hotel Savoy4.7Five-star hotel, Piazza della Repubblica500 m away
- Portrait Firenze4.8Five-star hotel, Ponte Vecchio600 m away
Where to eat near Vivoli
The nearest of the famous tables this site lists in Florence. Distances are in a straight line.
- Enoteca Pinchiorri4.3Grand restaurant, Santa Croce150 m away
- Antico Ristorante Paoli4.7Restaurant, Orsanmichele350 m away
- Perché no!4.6Gelateria, Orsanmichele400 m away