Don’t Call It Italian Ice Cream. It’s Gelato, and Florence Started It

This story takes us back to the Renaissance, the Medici court, Bernardo Buontalenti, and the origins of Italy’s most famous dessert. Many people call it Italian ice cream, but in Italy, it’s known as gelato, and its story starts in Florence. During the Renaissance, chefs in the Medici court tried making frozen desserts with snow, fruit, and later milk and eggs. These experiments led to the creamy dessert that became one of Italy’s most famous treats.

Frozen Desserts Before Gelato

People enjoyed frozen treats long before gelato appeared.

In ancient times, people made cool treats by mixing snow and ice with fruit juice, honey, or wine. Roman emperors even sent runners to the mountains to collect snow, which they flavoured with syrups and fruit.

In southern Italy and Sicily, people kept winter snow deep underground. When it got warmer, they used this snow to make early versions of granita and sorbetto.

Those early desserts were icy and had a very different texture from the creamy gelato we know today.

Florence and the Medici Court

By the 1500s, Florence was the centre of the Renaissance.

Under the Medici in the 1500s, Florence flourished as a centre of art and creative cuisine. Banquets impressed visiting nobles and ambassadors, becoming a stage for culinary creativity and display.

Chefs tried to create dishes that guests had never seen before. Frozen desserts soon became highlights at these gatherings.

In this creative, experimental setting, the first versions of gelato began to appear.

Bernardo Buontalenti and the First Modern Gelato

Bernardo Buontalenti played a key role in the history of gelato. He was a Florentine artist, architect, and engineer who worked for the Medici family.

In the 1560s, Buontalenti crafted a frozen dessert for a Medici banquet in honour of the King of Spain, using milk, eggs, sugar, citrus, and ice, creating a richer, smoother treat that sparks admiration for culinary ingenuity.

This dessert, often called Crema Fiorentina, is widely seen as the first form of modern gelato.

Another Florentine, Cosimo Ruggeri, is also part of the story. Tradition says he won a Medici contest with a frozen dish made from ice and fruit. His creation was probably more like sorbetto than creamy gelato, but it shows how much cooks in Florence liked experimenting with frozen desserts.

Taken together, these tales firmly place Florence at the centre of gelato’s story.

How Gelato Spread Across Europe & the USA

In the centuries that followed, Florence’s influence spread far beyond the city.

When Catherine de’ Medici married the future King Henry II of France in 1533, she brought Florentine chefs to the French court. They introduced frozen desserts from Florence, along with new pastries and sauces.

Over time, these recipes spread to other European courts and eventually became the ice creams enjoyed all over the continent.

In 1686, Sicilian chef Francesco Procopio dei Coltelli opened the famous Café Procope in Paris and served gelato to the public. His new freezing methods made gelato a treat everyone could enjoy, not just royalty.

By the 1700s and 1800s, Italian immigrants brought gelato traditions to America. In cities like New York and Philadelphia, street vendors sold frozen desserts inspired by Italian sorbets and gelato. By the late 1800s, Italian immigrants led the ice cream trade in many American cities.

In 1903, Italian immigrant Italo Marchiony patented a machine in New York that made edible ice cream cups. This helped make ice cream cones popular.

These inventions helped turn frozen desserts into popular street food across the United States.

Why Gelato Is Different from Ice Cream

People often call gelato Italian ice cream, but the two desserts are not quite the same.

Traditional gelato has less fat than most ice creams and is churned with less air. This makes it denser and gives it a stronger flavour.

Real gelato also looks different. In traditional gelaterias, it remains low and compact in covered metal containers rather than being piled high in colourful mounds.

That detail is a good sign of real gelato. To distinguish authentic gelato from mass-produced versions, look for muted, natural colours, short ingredient lists with milk, sugar, eggs, real fruit or nuts, and a label reading “artigianale” (handmade). Freshness and seasonality are also good indicators, so pick fruit flavours that match the time of year.

Gelato in Italy Today

Centuries after its Medici beginnings, gelato truly belongs to everyone.

In Italy, you don’t need a special occasion for gelato. It might be a quick stop after dinner, a cup while walking through the city, or flavours picked at the counter and eaten before they melt. In Florence, where it all began, a scoop of gelato still feels like the most natural way to end an evening: a small pleasure that once belonged to Renaissance banquets.

And it’s exactly how we end our Florence food tour.

-Katarina, your local guide in Florence