La Carraia Gelateria, satellite of Florentine original, opens in East Meadow

And why wouldn’t the first New York satellite of Florence’s renowned La Carraia Gelateria open in East Meadow? If the location, along the Hempstead Turnpike service road, doesn’t exactly bring to mind the Uffizi or the Galleria dell'Accademia, it is next door to the original Uncle Giuseppe’s Marketplace.

La Carraia, which opened Sept. 24, is actually the fourth to open in North America, following two in Canada and one in Orlando, Florida. Its owner, Naveed Haroon, is part of a loose partnership of friends and family who purchased the North American franchise rights. "We import everything from Italy," he said, "the ingredients, the machinery, the coffee."

Haroon said that he has about 60 flavors in rotation, two dozen in the cases on any given day. Besides standards such as hazelnut, pistachio, fiore di latte (cream) and stracciatella (chocolate chip), you’ll also find Amarena cherry, chocolate-orange and La Carraia symphony, vanilla gelato with crushed biscotti, dark chocolate and candied orange. There are six vegan flavors, including dairy-free dark chocolate gelato plus five fruit sorbetti.

For the savory tooth, La Carraia also serves panini, pizza and calzone. The neat shop has a handful of tables and plenty of parking in back, too.

Founded in 1990, Florence’s La Carraia takes its name from the nearby five-arched La Carraia bridge across the Arno — it’s Florence’s second-oldest bridge, after the Ponte Vecchio. (The image of the bridge is the gelateria's logo.) There is also a second La Carraia in Florence near Santa Croce.

La Carraia is at 2326 Hempstead Tpke., East Meadow, 516-226-3580, facebook.com/La-Carraia-Gelateria