Gelateria De' Coltelli, Pisa: What to Order on the Lungarno
Gelateria De' Coltelli is a gelato shop at Lungarno Pacinotti 23 in central Pisa, on the street that runs along the Arno, and it is worth planning into a walk across the city centre rather than treating as a detour. Its draw is a small, natural ingredient list, a dairy-free route through sorbetto and granita, and a Gambero Rosso Tre Coni award it has held since the prize began. This page covers where the shop is, what it makes, what to order and what sits within a short walk.
Where Gelateria De' Coltelli is on Lungarno Pacinotti
The address is Lungarno Pacinotti 23, on the river in the middle of Pisa, a stretch of riverside palaces and frontages that connects the railway station area with the Ponte di Mezzo. If you are walking the lungarno between the station and the river crossings, the shop sits directly on your route.
Coming from Pisa Centrale, head south to the river rather than cutting inland; the walk is flat and takes you past the Caffè dell'Ussero in Palazzo Agostini, a historic riverfront café that makes a natural pairing either side of your gelato. Both stops are close enough to combine without a bus, and a detour of a few hundred metres is all the shop adds to a cross-city walk.
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What the shop is and why it is called De' Coltelli
Gelateria De' Coltelli is a small artisan gelateria run by Gianfrancesco Cutelli, making gelato, sorbetto and Sicilian granita on site from a deliberately short list of ingredients. Terre di Pisa explains that the name is a tribute to Francesco Procopio De' Coltelli, the figure it credits with inventing modern gelato. Treat that as the shop's stated lineage rather than a settled historical fact.
The shop's own site presents the same idea in its own words: continuous research into the best raw materials, with ingredient selection as the core of the work. The practical upshot for a visitor is a menu that changes with the season instead of a long fixed list, so what you taste in spring will not be identical in autumn.
How the gelato is made: fresh milk, seasonal fruit and natural ingredients
The ingredient lists are unusually short, and the shop publishes them. Its gelato is made with fresh whole milk, sugars, fresh cream, fresh free-range egg yolk, locust bean gum and sea salt; its sorbetti and granite with water, fresh and dried fruit, sugars, spices, flowers and herbs, sheep's ricotta, vegetable fibres, locust bean gum and guar. Those plant gums are among the thickeners listed.
Fruit is seasonal and, according to Terre di Pisa, almost entirely organic, with fair-trade ingredients and produce that celebrates the surrounding territory. That sourcing choice is the reason to choose this counter over a standard one: the menu follows what is in season rather than a long fixed list.
What to order: gelato, sorbetto and Sicilian granita
There are three distinct things on the counter here, and knowing the difference stops you ordering the wrong one. Gelato is the milk-and-cream base; sorbetto is the water-and-fruit base, denser and sharper; granita siciliana is the Sicilian slush of fruit, water and sugar, coarser and colder, and Terre di Pisa lists it as a Sicilian speciality of the shop.
Order gelato when you want something rich: the cream and egg yolk base carries intense flavours well. Order sorbetto or granita when the weather is hot and you want fruit, and pick whatever is in season that week rather than chasing a fixed favourite. A small cup or cone is the sensible choice before a meal.
Sorbetto and granita for dairy-free and vegan visitors
The sorbetti and granite made from water, fruit, sugars, spices and herbs contain no milk, cream or egg, so they are the dairy-free route. Note that some sorbetti also list sheep's ricotta, so if you avoid dairy, check the specific flavour's ingredient list at the counter before ordering.
Terre di Pisa states that the shop gives attention to coeliac, allergic and intolerant customers and uses sustainable packaging throughout. Ask at the counter about any flavour you are unsure of, since recipes change with the season and a new fruit combination can bring a new ingredient.
Gambero Rosso Tre Coni and other recognitions
Gambero Rosso confirmed its Tre Coni award to Gelateria De' Coltelli in the guide Le Migliori Gelaterie d'Italia 2027, presented in June 2026, marking a tenth consecutive year of the recognition since the prize was established in 2017. The same presentation gave Gianfrancesco Cutelli a special award for gelatieri who have shaped the history of the craft.
Gambero Rosso is not the only body to have noticed the shop: Terre di Pisa lists a CNA innovation prize for the first blockchain-traced gelato, a first prize at the Sherbeth Festival, and a best-gelateria-in-Italy placing from Dissapore, among others. Those are the awarding bodies' verdicts, not a ranking this guide hands out, so read them as recognition rather than a league table.
How to eat it: a cone or a cup on the Lungarno
This is a counter-service shop rather than a sit-down café, so you order at the display, pay, then take your cup or cone away. Given the address, eat it on the river wall or as you continue along the lungarno towards the Ponte di Mezzo.
Allow ten to fifteen minutes in the shop and a little longer if you linger by the water; a short stop here fits comfortably between a morning coffee and lunch. For the return leg, Pasticceria Salza is another historic Pisan counter worth knowing if you prefer pastry to gelato.
Nearby: what else is within a short walk
The shop's stretch of the river puts several eating stops within a few minutes. The Mercato Centrale di Pisa is a short walk inland, while the Caffè dell'Ussero on the same lungarno works for a coffee before or after.
In Pisa itself, the Lungarno and the streets behind it hold enough for a half-day on foot, and the rest of the city's food stops are mapped in our Pisa Attractions: 4 Visitor Guides. If your trip continues east, PisaToday reports that a former De' Coltelli gelatiere, Eleonora Pinzi, took over the De' Coltelli shop in Lucca in 2025 and now runs it as Ele Gelati.
Is Gelateria De' Coltelli worth the stop?
Yes, if you are already walking the lungarno: it is a genuine artisan counter with short, published ingredient lists, a real dairy-free option and a Tre Coni it has held since the award began. It is not worth crossing the city for if gelato is an afterthought, and it is a small shop rather than a destination in itself.
Build it into a river walk between the station and the Ponte di Mezzo, pair it with a coffee at the Caffè dell'Ussero, and order sorbetto or granita if you want fruit and no dairy. Check the shop's own site for the current flavour list before you go.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Gelateria De' Coltelli suitable for dairy-free visitors?
The sorbetti and granite made from water, fruit, sugars, spices and herbs contain no milk, cream or egg, so they are the dairy-free choice. Some sorbetti list sheep's ricotta, and recipes change with the season, so check the specific flavour at the counter before ordering.
Does Gelateria De' Coltelli have the Gambero Rosso Tre Coni?
Yes. Gambero Rosso confirmed the Tre Coni in the guide Le Migliori Gelaterie d'Italia 2027, presented in June 2026, a tenth consecutive year of the award since it began in 2017.