Folks worldwide flock to this Renaissance city with more motives than one, but its oh-so famous, lip-smacking gelato is reason alone to visit. Unbeknownst to many, the tasty treat is said to boast Florentine roots in the city’s court, linking your modern-day indulgence with Florence’s glorious history. Records of frozen desserts akin to today’s gelato date to ancient times; indeed, the word sorbet finds its origins in the Arabic word scherbet, meaning “sweet snow.”

Yet variations of sweet ice throughout history are plenty and differ from today’s creamy gelato. Legend has it that alchemist Cosimo Ruggieri created the first-ever gelato (fior di latte) at the court of Catherine de’ Medici as part of a courtly cooking contest. Others credit the mannerist Medici architect Bernardo Buontalenti for the invention of gelato alla crema, the popular egg-cream flavor whose recipe, crema Buontalenti, has been circulating since 1565.