Vivoli Il Gelato‘s world-famous affogato is made with a custard, Silvana Vivoli tells me.
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“It has three ingredients: milk, sugar and egg.”
Simplicity, she says, is part of what has kept her family’s business successful since 1929, when Serafino Vivoli opened a dairy in the historic Santa Croce neighborhood of Florence, Italy. Gelato production began in 1932, and in the nearly hundred years since, the name has become synonymous with cool, creamy perfection.
And a viral affogato that has staffers in the Florence shop tamping 2,000 espressos a day for a line that lasts 14 hours — queueing before the place opens ’til they pack it up for the night. It’s been ridiculously popular here, as well.
Vivoli Il Gelato landed at Disney Springs in 2015 and quickly outgrew its 900-square-foot space — adding a cart at Disney’s Riviera Resort, at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and two additional carts at the Springs — and on Sept. 18 will open a bona fide shop, with 19 seats, at Flamingo Crossings Town Center in the Horizons West/Winter Garden area.
The new shop, Vivoli says, will improve production for the operation, which also supplies gelato for her partner, seasoned restaurateur Nick Valenti’s ventures: Simpy Capri and Flatlands Bar & Grill, also located at Flamingo Crossings.
Vivoli’s affogato has been on the menu in Italy since the 1960s, but it was years later, when her nephew Lorenzo’s creative, square redesign of the dessert was captured on video by a Fashion Week staffer.
“He was in charge of the runway for [designer] Emilio Pucci,” she says. “He came back behind the counter and filmed, and after [it was posted on social media], people started coming here, asking for the affogato.”
The traditional version is a staple at Disney Springs, but the Flamingo Crossings shop will offer something that’s only available in Florence right now: the tiramisu affogato, comprised of tiramisu gelato, a shot of espresso and a Lady Finger, crafted in Vivoli’s signature square shape.
It’s not the only exclusive, though.
The Pink Flamingo Shake is a this-shop-only offering, a resplendent dessert of vanilla gelato, strawberry sauce, pink sprinkles and a flamingo straw. You won’t find this one in Italy, though Vivoli says that no matter which shop she’s visiting, customers will often tell her they’ve been to the other.
The Winter Garden location will offer roughly 12 rotating gelato flavors, four sorbetto flavors, six varieties of affogato, espresso drinks, milkshakes, sundaes and Italian pastry.
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Its larger space will offer indoor and outdoor seating for up to 19 guests, but the Flamingo Crossings center, says Vivoli, allows for an experience that’s similar to that of her hometown.
“This is like we do in Italy,” she says, referencing the greenery, park benches and the nearby park. “You get your gelato, and then you walk around.”
You can also get your cake and eat it, too.
Once up and running, the Flamingo Crossings Vivoli Il Gelato will offer cakes for pre-order and customization, Valenti says, “but we will have some standard available, as well.”
Several staffers, including general manager Gerald Van Buren, who’s been with the company for 14 years, spent months training in Italy to ensure the preservation of Vivoli’s culture, technique and family recipes.
At 9 p.m. on Sept. 17, Van Buren and his team will welcome Orlando for a sneak peek at the shop and give away 500 affogatos to the folks who show up. This is before the shop’s official opening, at 10 a.m. the following day.
“We want to introduce the product to new customers,” says Valenti. “It will be a big extravaganza.”
The dessert itself, though elegant, is far less complicated.
“We don’t go for crazy stuff,” says Vivoli, whose recipes remain as her great-grandfather intended. “Our philosophy is always to do something — how you say? — simple.”
Find me on Facebook, TikTok, Twitter or Instagram @amydroo or on the OSFoodie Instagram account @orlando.foodie. Email: [email protected], For more foodie fun, join the Let’s Eat, Orlando Facebook group.
If you go
Vivoli Il Gelato’s new shop is located in the Flamingo Crossings Town Center at 153 Sugar Belle Drive in Winter Garden. vivoliorlando.com
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