A chocolate love story in Perugia, Italy

If you are a foodie you probably know Perugia, Umbria because of the Eurochocolate event, which takes place every October and makes of this beautiful medieval town the capital of pleasure.

But this charming area of Umbria has a long tradition of chocolate enthusiasts, that goes back to 1907: Giovanni Buitoni, who created the Perugina chocolate factory, fell in love with Luisa Spagnoli and, since their love affair was a secret, the two lovers exchanged passionate messages hidden in handmade chocolates. This gave birth to the legendary Baci (kisses), delicious chocolate blended with chopped hazelnuts inside, and a whole hazelnut at the top, they are still today a love token for chocoholics. Quotations from love poems written in four languages wrap every single Bacio, adding to the pleasure of reading the delight of the heavenly flavor that gently melts in your mouth. You can easily recognize a box of Baci chocolates: blue stars on a silver sky give light to a couple exchanging a passionate kiss, an image that has continued to represent Baci Perugina since their first production.

Italians wait every year for a new television advert that is usually launched some weeks before Valentine’s Day, and in 1997 Perugina promoted an international creative competition to involve young image professionals in the project for the creation of the new Baci packaging, in order to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the brand. Three-hundred million Baci are sold every year: if you decided to put them one after the other in a line, you would cover 7,000 km., a route that would lead you to heaven.

Perugia hotel for chocolate lovers recommended by Venere.com : the Etruscan Chocohotel.

Photo of heart of cocoa originally posted by kyknoord

Topic:  Restaurants & Food | 1 Comment
Tags:  chocolate, Italy, romance

About the author

Born in Tuscany, in a small village among Perugia, Florence and Siena, Elena Bonelli is a lecturer of English Language at the Universities of Siena and Perugia. She also teaches in a Master for experts in Tourist and Gastronomic Communication.