The city of Baci
Perugia is the Italian capital of chocolate. In 1907 a group of local entrepreneurs, including Luisa Spagnoli and Francesco Buitoni, founded a small confectionery company, the Perugina, which in a few decades became one of the most famous chocolate brands in Italy. In 1922, Luisa Spagnoli, a brilliant businesswoman who later also founded a famous fashion house, invented a chocolate made with leftover pieces of hazelnuts mixed with chocolate, topped by a whole hazelnut and covered with dark chocolate: at first it was called "Cazzotto", a punch, for its shape like a closed fist, but it was then renamed Bacio, the Kiss. Inside the silver and blue wrapping, each Bacio contains a small piece of paper with a love message or a famous quote, a tradition that has made it a symbol of romance in Italy.
The Casa del Cioccolato Perugina, at the factory of San Sisto, on the outskirts of the city, offers a museum on the history of the company and chocolate, a tour with a view of the production lines, tastings and a chocolate school with courses for adults and children. Every year in October, the historic centre of Perugia hosts Eurochocolate, one of the largest chocolate festivals in Europe, with hundreds of stands, tastings, chocolate sculptures and events that attract hundreds of thousands of visitors. In the historic centre, many artisan chocolate shops and cafés offer chocolates, pralines and hot chocolate.
Tip: book the factory tour at the Casa del Cioccolato; in October, avoid the weekends of Eurochocolate if you don't like crowds.
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