Forum Forums

Vivoli Gelateria, the latest new offering at Disney Springs is now open, bringing a taste of Italian gelato to The Landing.

Founded in Florence 1932, Vivoli Gelateria promises authentic Italian gelato and baked goods, made in-house and in small batches. The Disney Springs location is the first Vivoli store-front outside of Italy, and only the second location within the U.S.A. - joining a kiosk location in New York City.

The store is located just across from The BOATHOUSE and the Waterview Park - which is the perfect place to take a seat and enjoy your treat. There is no seating inside, with all the shop space taken up by the huge gelato display case, and the onstage kitchen area.

The display case is split into two areas, with the baked goods and panini sandwiches in one case, and the gelato in the second case.

The gelato selection is extensive, with 24 flavors on offer, including Lemon, Pineapple, Fresh Creamed Custard, Rice Pudding, Imported Italian Chocolate, Pistachio, Salted Caramel, Shredded Coconut, Banana, Brandied Italian Sweet Cherry, Peanut Butter and more.

Gelato is available in three cup sizes, piccolo at $5, media at $6 and Grande at $7. There is also a cone option at $6.75. The serving sizes are small. Think more Epcot Food and Wine Festival size, and less Coldstone Creamery. The idea at Vivoli Gelato is quality over quantity, and in our taste test today it certainly measured up. The chocolate in particular stood out, which an incredibly rich flavor which really allowed that imported Italian chocolate to shine. There are no toppings or mix-ins, but there are Waffle Bowl Sundaes on offer for $9.75 if you are looking for something a bit more extravagant. There is a Banana Split, Sicilian Creamsicle, and Amarena with biscotti.

If you can't decide which flavor you want, there are samples available before you order. And if it is still too difficult to make a choice, you can opt for multiple flavors in one serving.

Also on offer is a range of Gelato and Sorbet floats and milkshakes, all priced at $9.75. The Tropicale for example is a pineapple sorbet, coconut gelato, Gazzosa soda, with pineapple and cherry.

Moving to the baked goods case, there is a range of homemade tarts and cookies. The tarts are priced at $4 each, with the cookies priced at $5 for 6 as a Biscotti Assortiti.

The tarts were beautifully baked, oozing with homemade qualities, as were the biscotti assortment. The rice pudding and chocolate tarts were our favorites.

There is also a choice of three panini sandwiches - a Prosciutto and Mascarpone, Fontina and Artichoke, and Mozzarella Tomato Basil. Each panini is $4 and served cold.

The panini's had great flavor and made in-house throughout the day, but for $4 are somewhat small, sized about 2 square inches.

A range of coffees are available as you would expect from an Italian shop, with Espresso, Doppio, Decaf, Cappuccino, Caffe Latte, Macchiato and Americano all on offer, priced from $2.75 to $5. There is also Italian Soda, Italian Water, and the regular coke products.

The gelato ordering process is a little different to what you may be used to at say a Coldstone Creamery or similar. The order is placed at the register, by choosing the size of gelato. You then move to the display case to make flavor selections. Although perhaps slightly against the grain, it does have the advantage that the payment is done upfront, leaving you to get started on the gelato as soon as it is served, and not having to wait around to pay.

Vivoli Gelateria is a great addition to The Landing, bringing another unique treat location to Disney Springs. There are other ice cream locations nearby, such as Ghirardelli and Haagen Dazs, but this is the first to offer authentic Italian gelato, and it really is quite different. The baked goods are a very nice offering with lots of great options, although the panini sandwiches just didn't offer enough value for us to recommend those.

Operating hours are 10am to 11:00pm Sunday to Thursday, 10am to 11:30pm Friday to Saturday. You can see more photos from Vivoli Gelateria in the gallery.

Discuss on the Forums

Article Posted: