Gelateria Belfiore: Gelato, Granita and What to Order in Syracuse
Gelateria Belfiore is an artisan gelateria and chocolate shop in Syracuse, positioned at the Ponte Umberto I end of Via Luigi Greco Cassia rather than on the island of Ortigia. It is the place to go when you want a cone or a granita with a view back across the water towards Ortigia, and it works well as a sweet stop on a morning that also takes in the market.
What follows covers the shop's position on the Syracuse side of the bridge, how to reach it on foot from Ortigia, the specific Sicilian ingredients its specialities are built on and the choice between indoor tables and the outdoor terrace. The kitchen makes gelato, granita, gelato cakes, tronchetti, ice lollies and gluten-free products.
What Gelateria Belfiore is
The shop describes itself as producing gelato by hand for over twenty years, and the counter is arranged around that: a long gelato display in full colour, with a separate offer of cakes, granita, ice lollies and chocolate. It is a family-run business with a seating area rather than a takeaway hatch, so you can order at the counter and then sit to eat.
It is not just a gelato counter. The same shop sells gelato cakes and tronchetti, a tronchetto being a small rolled or log-shaped cake, and it takes orders for birthday and christening cakes. If you are travelling with someone who avoids gluten, the shop states that it has gluten-free products on offer.
Where it is in Syracuse
The address is Via Luigi Greco Cassia 5, 96100 Siracusa, at the entrance to the Ponte Umberto I, the bridge that links the mainland to Ortigia. That means the shop sits on the Syracuse side of the water, a few minutes' walk from the island, and it is worth knowing this before you set out if you have been picturing it in the middle of the Baroque streets.
The outdoor area is set with tables, umbrellas and chairs looking across to the Ortigia panorama. For a gelato in the sun, ask for a table outside; if the weather turns, the indoor seating is just as comfortable and the atmosphere is deliberately informal.
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How to get there from Ortigia
From Ortigia, walk to the Ponte Umberto I and cross towards the mainland; the shop is at the bridge's approach, so you reach it before heading further into the modern city. Coming from Syracuse's train station or the newer centre, head for the bridge and look for the shop on the Syracuse side of the junction.
If you are already spending the morning in Ortigia, it makes sense to combine the walk with a stop at the Mercato di Ortigia, which fills the streets around the Temple of Apollo and is the best introduction to Syracuse's produce before you get to the gelato. A route from the market, across the island and over the bridge gives you a natural pause here before you carry on.
What to order: pistachio gelato and almond granita
The specialities the shop names are its pistachio gelato and its almond granita. The pistachio is made with what the shop calls true Bronte pistachio, the prized Sicilian pistachio, and the granita with Avola almonds, the island's best-known almond. Those are the shop's own claims about its ingredients, but they point you at the right two orders: the pistachio as a gelato, the almond as a granita.
Granita siciliana is a Sicilian frozen preparation, coarser and more intensely flavoured than a sorbet, and it is eaten with a spoon or dunked with a brioche. Ordering the almond version here is a good way to see what the Sicilian version is like rather than a French-style sorbet. Flavours rotate, so ask what is on the counter that day.
The rest of the counter
Beyond the two specialities, the shop lists gelato cakes, tronchetti, granite and ice lollies, along with the gluten-free products. A gelato cake is a layered frozen cake, useful if you want something to take back for a group rather than a single cone, while the ice lollies suit a quick walk across the bridge.
The shop also sells soft and alcoholic drinks, so you can sit with something cold alongside the gelato. For a cake or a larger order, ring ahead on +39 338 618 7559 and the staff can prepare it.
Eating in or outside
This is the main choice to make on arrival. Inside, the shop is set up with comfortable seating and a cheerful, family feel, which is the better option on a hot midday or a wet afternoon. Outside, the tables and umbrellas face towards Ortigia, which is the reason many people stop here in the first place; take that option when the light and weather allow.
There is table service both indoors and outdoors, so you sit down and order rather than collecting at a hatch and leaving. That makes it a proper pause in a day of walking rather than a two-minute stop, and it suits a group where some want gelato and others want a drink.
Takeaway and delivery
If you want to eat on the move, ask for your gelato or granita to take away and walk back over the bridge with it. The shop also offers home delivery through the main delivery platforms, including Deliveroo, and lists this on its site; coverage and any charges are handled through the platform. That is useful if you are staying on the Syracuse side and want the gelato brought to you.
At busy moments, ordering at the counter and taking away is quicker than waiting for a table. Either way, it is worth deciding before you queue whether you are staying or going, since the two are handled differently.
When it is open
The shop closes on Mondays. From Tuesday to Friday it is open from 11:00 to 22:00, on Saturday from 11:00 to 24:00 and on Sunday from 11:00 to 22:00, according to its contact page. Bear this in mind when building the day's eating around Ortigia, since a Monday stop will find the shutters down.
Check the current hours and closures on the shop's own contact page before making the walk across the bridge, especially around public holidays.
Nearby: Ortigia and the waterfront
Once you have eaten, Ortigia's waterfront and its lanes are a short walk back over the bridge, and the island is small enough to wander without a plan. If you want another food stop nearby, Fratelli Burgio, a salumeria and alimentari on Piazza Cesare Battisti in Ortigia, is known for its cheeses, cured meats and sandwiches to take away.
For something sweet later in the day, Pasticceria Artale in Ortigia, Syracuse is a pastry shop where you can pick up Sicilian pastries and biscuits, and Caffè Apollo, Syracuse, on Piazza Archimede, is a historic café for a coffee on the square. Both are on the island, so pair them with a wander rather than a separate trip.
Worth crossing the bridge for?
Yes, if you want a gelato with a view of Ortigia and a particular pair of Sicilian flavours to aim for. The walk over Ponte Umberto I is short, the Bronte pistachio gelato and the Avola almond granita are the orders to choose, and the outdoor tables look back at the island.
The one planning point is the Monday closure. Build the visit around Tuesday to Sunday, and check the shop's current hours before you go if you are coming in a holiday week.