Vivoli Il Gelato is preparing to open its second Orlando-area location at 153 Sugar Belle Drive inside Flamingo Crossings Town Center in Winter Garden. The shop is scheduled to open to the public at 10 a.m. on September 18, following a September 17 preview during which the first 500 customers will receive a free affogato, according to Orlando Sentinel.
Vivoli is taking over a storefront formerly occupied by Ben & Jerry’s, which closed at the end of 2024. The company completed a front-of-house renovation and brought in equipment from Italy, according to WhatNow. The larger space is also intended to expand production beyond the brand’s original Disney Springs counter, which had outgrown its 900-square-foot footprint, the Orlando Sentinel reports. A location-specific menu item will be the Pink Flamingo shake, made with vanilla gelato, strawberry sauce, pink sprinkles and a flamingo straw.
A Flamingo Crossings Debut Years in the Making
Flamingo Crossings Town Center is a Disney-owned, 200,000-square-foot outdoor retail and dining complex at the western entrance to Walt Disney World along State Road 429 and Hartzog Road, according to Florida Neighborhood Realty. Vivoli will also supply gelato to Simply Capri and Flatlands Bar & Grill, which operate in the development, the Orlando Sentinel reports. Nick Valenti, a former CEO of Patina Restaurant Group and Restaurant Associates, has a long-standing relationship with the Vivoli family and brought Simply Capri to Flamingo Crossings in 2024, according to Food Service Director. Valenti told the Sentinel that the preview event will be an extravaganza.
The Winter Garden shop will serve espresso drinks, milkshakes, sundaes, Italian pastries, about 12 rotating gelato flavors and four sorbetto options, according to the Sentinel. Its six affogato variations will include a tiramisu version made with tiramisu gelato, espresso and a lady finger. The shop will have indoor and outdoor seating for up to 19 people and will take orders for customized cakes, the Orlando Sentinel reports.
Roots Stretching Back to 1929 Florence
Vivoli traces its roots to 1929, when Serafino Vivoli opened a dairy in Florence’s Santa Croce neighborhood. The family began making gelato in 1932, and employees preparing for the Winter Garden opening trained in Italy to learn the company’s recipes and techniques, according to the Sentinel…