Best Gelato in Lucca: The Gelaterie Worth Queueing For

Why Lucca's gelato scene punches above its size

Lucca is a small walled city, but its gelato reputation rests on names that carry weight across Tuscany. Ele Gelati e Granite, opened in 2024, was singled out by the Gambero Rosso guide with its emerging-gelato-maker recognition, as quoted by La Nazione. That is a striking result for a shop only a couple of years old, and it makes Ele the first stop for anyone treating gelato as the main event rather than an after-dinner add-on.

The wider Tuscan scene gives Lucca context: Dissapore's 2025 list of the best artisan gelaterie in Tuscany puts Gelateria De' Coltelli near the top of its own ranking, crediting Gianfrancesco Cutelli with more than twenty years of work and a constant search for ingredients. De' Coltelli operates in both Pisa and Lucca, so the same standard you find in Pisa is available inside Lucca's walls. If you want to build a full eating day around these stops, see our guide to the best restaurants in Lucca.

Ele Gelati e Granite: the Garfagnana-egg crema and espresso gelato

Ele Gelati e Granite is the most interesting new name in Lucca, and its signature Crema Antica shows why. The gelato is built on eggs from the Garfagnana, the mountain valley north of Lucca, with organic vanilla and zest of organic Sicilian lemons, as quoted from the Gambero Rosso guide by La Nazione. Order it first: it is a plain-sounding flavour where the quality of each ingredient is the whole point.

The espresso gelato is the other flavour to seek out. It is described as super-concentrated and clean-tasting, made from prized coffee beans hand-picked in Ethiopia from farms run on agroforestry principles. That is a very specific sourcing story for a small Lucca shop, and it tells you the espresso flavour will taste of the bean rather than of sugar. The name also promises granite, the Sicilian-style crushed-ice drink, so it is a good stop when you want something colder and lighter than a full gelato.

Gelateria De' Coltelli: the Pisa and Lucca master and his rotating flavours

Gelateria De' Coltelli runs a shop in Lucca as well as its Pisa base, so you can try Gianfrancesco Cutelli's gelato without leaving the city. Cutelli has been at it for more than twenty years and has taught the trade to a long line of gelatieri, and Dissapore finds his output always enjoyable yet never quite the same twice. Treat the menu as a moving target: what you tasted last summer is not a promise for this one.

Examples from the Dissapore list give a sense of the range: macadamia nuts with smoked salt, a zero-mile caffè leccese, a ricotta, pine nut and honey flavour called A Serena, and Pulp Fiction, built on cocoa pulp, mango vinegar and pepper. Those are examples of the house style rather than a fixed list, so ask what is on the counter and let the staff steer you. If you are pairing gelato with the rest of Lucca's food, our guide to tordelli lucchesi covers the city's signature pasta.

Cremeria Opera: the Lucca gelateria with its own academy

Cremeria Opera is a Lucca gelateria with two shops in the city and an academy attached to the business. Founder Mirko Tognetti runs gelato courses at the Academy Opera Lucca, from a beginner's Antica Scuola session on gelato history and basic techniques to a professional Pro course covering lab logistics and running a shop. For a visitor, the appeal is straightforward: a shop whose staff are trained in-house tends to run a tight counter, and the flavours reflect that discipline.

The courses are capped at ten people per group and can be booked one-to-one or as a group, which makes them a genuine option if you want to learn the craft rather than just eat. Tognetti is described on the Cremeria Opera site as an ambassador of the ALMA school of advanced training, a claim the business makes about its own master. Use the shop as your everyday Lucca gelateria and the academy as the reason to look a little closer at how the gelato is made.

How to tell artisan gelato from the tourist stuff

A proper gelateria shows its work. At Ele, the sourcing is specific enough to name the valley the eggs come from and the country the coffee was grown in; at De' Coltelli, the flavours change because the ingredients and ideas change. A counter where every flavour looks the same shade of neon and the same size of mound is usually a counter built for volume rather than for flavour, and a shop that cannot tell you where its pistachios or hazelnuts come from is telling you something too.

The practical test is to order one plain flavour and one fruit flavour. Crema, fior di latte or espresso reveals whether the milk, eggs and coffee are good; a fruit sorbetto reveals whether the fruit is real. If both hold up, the more elaborate flavours are worth trying. If the plain ones taste of sugar and cold, walk on.

Flavours to order in Lucca: crema, espresso, ricotta and honey

Start with crema. Ele's Crema Antica, with Garfagnana eggs and Sicilian lemon zest, is the benchmark, and it is the flavour that best shows what a Lucca gelateria can do with local dairy and eggs. At De' Coltelli, look for the ricotta, pine nut and honey combination, a savoury-sweet profile that suits the Tuscan palate, and for the espresso and coffee-based flavours that both shops treat seriously.

For something less sweet, the granita at Ele is the obvious choice, and a fruit sorbetto at either shop is a good way to finish a heavy meal. If you want a sit-down dessert instead, buccellato di Lucca is the city's own sweet bread, best eaten fresh. The two make a natural pair: gelato in the afternoon, a slice of buccellato with a coffee later.

Cone, cup and how much it costs

Look at the board before you order and pick the size that matches your appetite: artisan gelaterie sell by portion, so the size you choose sets the price. A cone is the classic choice and keeps your hands free for walking the walls; a cup is easier to manage with children and lets you take a seat.

For a sense of how gelato fits into the rest of a Lucca eating day, our best pizza in Lucca guide covers the savoury side, and aperitivo in Lucca explains the early-evening ritual that often comes before gelato. If you want to make a morning of it, cooking classes in Lucca are the other way to spend time with the city's food culture.

Which Lucca gelateria should you choose?

Choose Ele Gelati e Granite if you want the most talked-about new shop in Lucca and are happy to order crema and espresso. Choose Gelateria De' Coltelli if you want a master's gelato with a menu that changes and are willing to ask what is good that day. Choose Cremeria Opera if you want a reliable neighbourhood shop and are curious about the academy behind it.