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Scam gelateria in Florence

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We just returned from a trip to Florence where we were listening to the Rick Steves Florence - A Renaissance Walk. Turns out there is a gelateria that is scamming people based on this audio guide. Right around the time where the tour is talking about gelato you arrive at this non descript place. It looks family run. If you accidentally step in you will get scammed with 10-15 Euro servings, cash only and the crappiest gelato you could ever have.

The address of the place is Via dei Calzaiuoli 79R. It goes by different names (Gelateria, Gelateria Vegana, Vlad)

Check out the Yelp and TripAdvisor reviews for more details. Would highly recommend a warning about this place.

https://maps.apple.com/?address=Via%20dei%20Calzaiuoli%2079%20R,%2050123%20Florence,%20Italy&ll=43.772047,11.255281&q=Via%20dei%20Calzaiuoli%2079%20R&t=m

Posted by
3099 posts

I’ve never seen reviews so low. Thanks for the warning. Why didn’t you just walk out? If you’re being hustled, run the other way.

Posted by
7886 posts

Wow! They have an average rating of 1.1 with 2000+ reviews! That’s a huge quantity of bad experiences!

Posted by
3515 posts

You want to look for gelato shops that have covered metal bins, and no displays of high mounds of whipped up, decorated, brightly coloured mounds of gelato.
These are more likely to sell artisanal home made gelato from smaller family run businesses.
It also tastes a great deal more delicious than the neon coloured stuff!

https://www.sliceoftuscany.com/blog-2/2020/2/19/gelato-the-difference-between-authentic-and-fake

You will know next time!

Posted by
338 posts

I’m sure it was this place based on the prices and location, my mom got a gelato here in 2017 and when the girl told her the price, my mom gave it back to her and walked out.

Posted by
7208 posts

There were places in Sicily where no price was posted, so what you got charged depending on whether you were a local or tourist. In Taormina one place charged X one day and tried to charge Y the next day. We called him on it and got the lower price. Neither price was terrible, a 1€ difference is all, but just something to be aware of. Nothing like what the OP mentioned.

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