According to the Gelato Festival official website, gelato was invented in 1559 by Bernardo Buontalenti, an Italian artist and architect who served the House of Medici. He created a cold cream made of milk, egg yolk and honey, which was a great success at one of the banquets held by the Medici.
As Florence is considered the birthplace of gelato, there is no wonder that the first Gelato Festival was held here in 2011. After two editions, the festival expanded to other Italian cities, including Milan, Turin, Rome, and Naples. What started as a small local event has become an international festival that attracts gelato makers and tourists from around the world.
According to the organizers, the Gelato Festival is Europe’s most important event dedicated to Italian gelato. It is a traveling festival with three food trucks that symbolize the three stages of the event: Buontalenti, the production space, Ruggeri, the event space, and Caterina de' Medici, the tasting space.
The festival features Italian and foreign gelato artisans that create custom flavors specifically for the Gelato Festival. Every city the festival stops in, there are two competitions between local gelato artisans, one for established gelato masters and the other for up-and-coming artisans. The top two winners from each city compete for the title of European Champion at the final event in Florence. The winners are selected by the technical jury and the popular jury.
Alongside competitions, the program of the Gelato Festival includes plenty of events and activities for attendees of all ages, such as gelato tastings, demonstrations by award-winning gelato masters and chefs, presentations, and more. At the festival, you can taste dozens of flavors of top-quality gelato, including local and organic produce.
