Hot chocolate is a Florentine tradition. It first appeared at the Medici court in the 16th century and the city’s nobles fell instantly in love, serving it instead of wine at meals in Palazzo Pitti. But it wasn't the hot chocolate we know today. Cacao seeds were brought into Europe by Christopher Columbus where they would be ground into a powder and combined with boiled water to make a bitter drink. The Europeans didn't get a taste for it until sugar was added.
By the 19th century, hot chocolate had become a morning ritual for Florence's rich and famous. A little more than 100 years later, it spread to the masses, who could enjoy it in the city’s many cafés, some of which are still serving hot chocolate today.
Italian hot chocolate
When the weather cools even the slightest, cravings hit for cioccolata calda or Italian hot chocolate. Unlike the drink you might find in other countries, the Italian version of this classic is made has an almost pudding-like texture and is served in tiny cups or glasses. Instead of water and powder, it’s made with real pieces of chocolate, sugar and milk and melted in special machines that mix the chocolate constantly.
Here are our favorite places to enjoy Italian hot chocolate in Florence. Did we miss any of yours? Please comment below- we’d love to hear from you!
Photo credit: Caffè Rivoire
Caffè Rivoire
This Italian institution has the best view in town. It's located in the Piazza della Signoria, right in front of the Palazzo Vecchio, so yes, there'll be tourists there, but there'll also be sophisticated locals sipping the cafe's world famous hot chocolate on a winter's afternoon. Cafè Rivoire makes its unctuous hot chocolate from its own blend of chocolate following a secret recipe. They claim the drink has been sipped by many a famous politician and nobleman, so it must be good, right? A note: If you don’t feel up to spending extra to sit at a table, grab a pastry or cookie and enjoy your hot chocolate standing up at the bar.
Address: Piazza della Signoria, 5/R
Website: http://www.rivoire.it/en/
Slitti Experience
Master chocolatier Andrea Slitti, whose family chocolate house was founded by Luciano Slitti in Tuscany, brings decades of award-winning craftsmanship to Slitti Experience in the center of Florence. This sleek café-boutique showcases the brand’s obsession with quality cacao and meticulous technique. There’s plenty of seating and conveniently located by the Florence Duomo. Their hot chocolate is intensely rich and velvety, have a shot of espresso from their intentionally sourced roasted beans for an extra jolt. Don’t miss the dark chocolate tortino, and be sure to try their gianduiotti or cremini—true Slitti signatures.
Address: Piazza dell’ Olio, 6
Website: https://slitti.it/
Photo credit: Vestri Cioccolato
Vestri
In the mid-1960s, Leonardo Vestri’s father Daniele, followed his own father into the artisanal chocolate world in Arezzo. In 2002, the family opened a shop in Florence, sourcing cocoa from their own plantation in the Dominican Republic and toasting, refining and tempering the beans in Arezzo. Vestri is famous for its dark chocolate with chili as well as its chocolate-covered candied orange slices and peel. The cioccolata calda comes in two strengths – San Dominigo Cru (65%) and Venezuela Cru (75%). You can drink it plain or with cinnamon mixed in. Heaven!
Address: Borgo degli Albizi, 11r
Website: http://www.vestri.it/
Caffe Gilli
At heart a coffee house, in Piazza della Repubblica, Gilli makes for a valid stop for treats beyond espresso. Founded in 1733, this is Florence’s oldest café and a symbol of the city’s grand café culture. For centuries its served as a meeting place for artists, intellectuals, and Florentine society. With its liberty-style interiors and iconic cakes, Gilli is also a veritable destination for hot chocolate. Made in the classic, thick Florentine style and best spooned with a side of whipped panna.
Address: Via Roma, 1R
Website: caffegilli.com
Pasticceria Dolci e Dolcezze
This sweet place makes a decadent selection of cakes and coffee, served in a very cute, quiet and boutique atmosphere. Beyond miniature pies and tarts, they've also got cream or chocolate-filled cornetti for an extravagant breakfast. Just save some room for the dense chocolate tart, which is the pastry shop's signature dolce!
Opening hours: Every day: 7:30am-9:30pm, except for Sunday when it opens at 8am
Address: Piazza Beccaria Cesare 8R
Website: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dolci-Dolcezze/223278527697604
Antica Pasticceria Sieni
This pastry shop has a prime location on the corner of the San Lorenzo market. It’s renowned for its old-school pastries. In fact, it makes a mission of recreating historical Italian pastries from scratch like Zuccotto (semi-frozen, chilled dessert made with alchermes, cake and ice cream.), Torta della Nonna (sweet pastry with a lemon and vanilla-scented custard filling) and Torta dello Zar (Charlotte). They also do seasonal sweets like the cenci (available in February), crispy fried dough covered in powdered sugar, and frittelle di riso, small fried balls of rice pastry with amaretto liqueur. The hot chocolate, while good, is simply your standard, but you will see a steady stream of locals coming in all morning to have one with their warm puff pastries.
Address: Via dell'Ariento, 29
Website: https://www.pasticceriasieni.it/
Pasticceria Nencioni
A Florentine institution near Sant’Ambrogio, Pasticceria Nencioni has been a neighborhood favorite for over 75 years, one of the businesses that survived Florence’s famous floods in 1966. Founded by the Nencioni family and established as a classic, no-frills pasticceria rooted in tradition. Still family-run, the café is beloved for its old-school atmosphere and vintage approach to Florentine sweets. The pastries and espresso are excellent, and their hot chocolate is also reliable. Made in the traditional Florentine style with high-quality dark chocolate and minimal embellishment. To accompany it, order the semolini di cioccolata: small, tender chocolate-based pastries that locals swear by and that pair decadently with a cup of dense cioccolata calda.
Address: Via Pietrapiana, 24R
Website: pasticcerianencioni.com
And for a couple of spots for the view….
Caffetteria delle Oblate
The cafe inside Florence’s most scenic public libraries, flanked with glass walls, overlooks the stunning Duomo and opens up onto a gigantic terrace with panoramic views over the Florentine cityscape. This space used to be a convent and boasts a casual space for a no-frills hot chocolate with whipped cream with an unbeatable view. Perfect spot for families, too.
Address: Via dell' Oriuolo, 26
Website: https://www.instagram.com/caffetteriadelleoblate
Caffè del Verone
Caffè del Verone is the cafeteria on the top of the Istituto degli Innocenti museum. The terrace is where the nuns would hang the clothes when the Istituto was still an orphanage. The view over the red Florentine roofs and the hills is breathtaking and if you look down, you can even see the cortile delle donne (women’s yard). Like the Caffetteria delle Oblate, the view is the main reason for visiting.
Address: Piazza Santissima Annunziata
Website: http://www.facebook.com/Caffe-Del-Verone-596915790477034/
