The Secrets of Gelato: La Carraia in Santa Croce

Milk, cream, sugar – three simple ingredients that construct one of the most popular sweet treats in Florence. Though it shares the same ingredients, it’s not ice cream; it’s the denser, sweeter Italian counterpart, gelato.

Gelato can be made in nearly every flavor, depending on which combination of ingredients is added.

Gelaterias heavily populate the streets of Florence and can be found on nearly every corner. Cases of gelato housing mountains of flavors covered in toppings attempt to draw in tourists, and tiny hole-in-the-wall gelaterias have lines down the street. But what is the secret to making gelato authentic and unique? It’s all in the way it’s made.

The History of Gelato

The story of gelato is a long, international evolution. Frozen desserts originated in 3000 BC when it was discovered in Asia that crushed ice with flavorings could be consumed. Hundreds of years later, it became an Egyptian tradition for pharaohs to offer their guests ice with sweetened fruit juice.

The first instance of modern gelato appeared in the Italian Renaissance, in which the Medici family held a contest to discover the best frozen dessert. A treat similar to sorbet was selected as the winner, and the creator, Ruggeri, was praised.

However, it wasn’t until the 1500s that cream-based gelato was created. Buontalenti, considered the inventor of gelato, presented the Medici family with the creamy frozen dessert as part of a feast for the king of Spain.

Over time, gelato spread across Europe, and gelato masters found ways to infuse new flavors into the creamy dessert. Simple flavors such as vanilla, coffee and chocolate have now been joined by cheesecake, ricotta and berries and rum raisin.

Discover Authentic Gelato

Authentic gelato needs to be kept in cold temperatures, so if the gelato is piled high in a beautiful display, it means something has been added to the gelato to make it hold its shape without being kept cold. Fresh, artisanal gelato is stored in metal containers that hold a specific temperature and sometimes have lids to prevent the outside air from affecting the temperature.

This "gelato" may look appetizing, but it's filled with preservatives and has been sitting there for days.

In addition to the way the treat is stored and displayed, the way in which it is made greatly determines which gelato is authentic (and which is just ice cream in disguise). Gelato has a lower fat content than ice cream and is churned at a low speed so that less air enters the mix. This results in the dense, creamy confection with intense flavors that locals and tourists alike are searching for.

Ice cream has more air and a higher fat content, which allows it to hold its shape longer than gelato. Keep an eye out for gelato displays boasting mountainous piles of flavors because odds are, it’s not authentic, artisanal gelato.

La Carraia: A Family-Owned Business

La Carraia is just steps away from the famous Basilica di Santa Croce di Firenze!

“My brother is the owner, but we work all together. There’s my mom and my dad, so we work all together,” said Gemma Mannucci, who has worked at La Carraia in Santa Croce for sixteen years.

The family’s effort since 1990 has paid off, as there is always a line out the door.

Guests from all over the world visit La Carraia to try it's fresh, highly-rated gelato.

Gemma was busy serving gelato and first remarked that she may be too busy to talk, but her coworker stepped in to say that she would handle the customers so Gemma could share about La Carraia.

“My brother moves very quickly. He does this for fifteen years like me so he’s very fast. But if I have to make it, I’m a little bit slow,” Gemma laughs while talking about the five-hour process of making gelato every morning.

Each morning the family starts the process of making gelato, which includes mixing various ingredients into a base consisting of milk, sugar and cream. Pistachio paste, vanilla, eggs, mascarpone cheese and hazelnut paste are among the additions that Gemma mentioned. Every batch of gelato is made in La Carraia’s lab.

She loves making the dark chocolate gelato because it’s fluffy and uses a different base than the other flavors, but “to eat? All of them. All of them! I change every day my favorite one.”

Gemma eagerly discussed the flavors in the gelateria and shared samples of her favorites.

Something for Everyone

La Carraia’s most popular flavor is Delizia La Carraia, a delectable combination of white chocolate and pistachio cream, but the rotating selection of over thirty flavors provides options for everyone.

The flavor options at La Carraia rotate depending on the season, but a few classics, like Delizia La Carraia, remain throughout the year.

Perhaps the most interesting and unique flavor at La Carraia is Buontalenti, which is a recreation of the first recorded cream-based gelato flavor created by Buontalenti himself. Mascarpone cheese, egg yolks and bourbon vanilla flavor this historical concoction.

More widely-consumed granitas and seasonal fruit flavors such as melon and pineapple are sold during the summer, and there are even water-based vegan flavors, making the gelateria accessible to everyone. Each visitor seems to leave the gelateria with a cup or cone of a different flavor.

Maria and her husband were excited to try the gelato place they had read about.

Maria Kaiser, who is visiting from Germany, tried stracciatella, a classic, and Lampo di Cioccolata, which is raspberry and chocolate. When asked which one she was enjoying the most she laughed – “Okay wait a second,” and tried them both again.

“They are both very good, but the raspberry is a little bit more extraordinary.”

Intense, creative flavors are what earn La Carraia stellar reviews and draw crowds from all over the world.

“I read a blog about two bloggers from Munich and they recommended this place and then somehow we’re in the same city, so that’s how we got here,” Maria said.

What’s the Secret?

As the self-proclaimed “buon gelato a Firenze,” or the good gelato in Florence, La Carraia must have a secret recipe or method. When asked what made her gelateria stand out from the hundreds of others in Florence, Gemma had a ready answer.

“It’s artisanal. We make it every day so it is always fresh and you can taste the freshness.”

You can see in the consistency of the gelato that it is made fresh daily, and there are no preservatives added to prevent it from losing shape or melting. The dedication to crafting unique, artisanal flavors every morning is what makes La Carraia special.

The gelato melts quickly because of the fresh ingredients - that's how you can tell it's authentic!

Each gelateria has a sacred method or ingredient that makes their gelato unique and their flavors intense. But as Gemma said, “We have a secret, but I can’t tell you that!”