Gelateria Carabè Firenze

Continuing on our quest for the best gelato on our trip to Italy, we stopped by Gelateria Carabè Firenze nearby our apartment.  This was recommended by a friend who stated that it was a lighter gelato that was less creamy yet at the same time, more refreshing.  They specialize in Sicilian-style gelato that employs some form of starch as a thickener. For myself, I personally prefer it to be more creamy and less sweet, but I have an open mind and had to see for myself.  

I decided to get a cup with a refreshing combination of Limone Sorbetto and some wine gelato that I forgot to note down (maybe Cassis?).  Whatever the case, the gelato was indeed lighter and less creamy.  I wouldn't call it icy, but there was a definite difference in the texture compared to the ones I had in Rome.  I found it sweeter with milder flavours.  I could see some people enjoying this in the heat, but for me I'm all about the creaminess.

Viv went all fruity going with the Mango and Peach Sorbetto.  These were smooth and almost fluffy.  The light texture of the sorbetto meant it was very quickly devoured and helped us beat the warm 37 degrees Celsius it was in Florence.  Mind you, the real way to beat the heat is to eat something hot to induce sweating, but we weren't going to do that.  In terms of flavour, they really came through.  I'm not sure if this was necessarily sweeter than another sorbetto we've had, but it was less tangy, so maybe that is why we felt it was sweeter?

My son is all about consistency and he once again had both the Chocolate and Straciatella Gelato.  Just by looking at it, you can tell the straciatella was less creamy and looked much lighter.  These indeed ate as such with an almost icy consistency without being so.  Flavours were on the sweeter side and the impact of the chocolate was lessened due to the texture.  

My daughter did her fruity options as well with the Strawberry and Passionfruit Sorbettos.  Maybe due to the use of different ingredients, these felt less fluffy, but then again, they weren't dense either.  Flavours were good and the sweetness was a little bit more muted possibly due to the added tanginess of the strawberry and passionfruit.  She gobbled it up pretty fast we agreed the sorbetto was more to our liking than the gelato.  Of course everything is subjective and again, I can see how some people would like this lighter version of gelato.  After all, the place has many accolades.  But for me personally, I like the one I had at Frigidarium in Rome the most.  Yes, I know, different city and different region.

The Good:

- Natural-tasting

- Light and refereshing

The Bad:

- Not as creamy