Emily Solley currently studies English Literature at Florida State University. This semester, she’s adventuring abroad to Florence, Italy to study Italian Reading and Conversation, a special topic art history class on the Florentine Renaissance and Comparative Politics: European Union. This column has two purposes. First, to share the opportunity of experiencing a different country with those of you are still in the U.S. (and hopefully convince you to study abroad yourself) and second, to share helpful information with those who are currently studying abroad.
Fiera del Cioccolato Artigianale (Florence Chocolate Festival) is just one of Italy’s abundance of famous chocolate festivals. In early February each year, the festival chooses one of Florence’s many piazzas to house the ten-day celebration of artisanal chocolate. This year, the 12th celebration of handmade chocolate took place in Piazza Santa Maria Novella. First dedicated in 1287, the piazza houses one of Italy’s most impressive churches and a collection of busy restaurants and bars.
The back of the row of tents, each housing a different expert chocolatier.
Courtesy: Emily A. Solley
The festival offers every kind of chocolate imaginable, from classic Italian hot chocolate (with or without alcohol or whipped cream), to chocolate covered fruit, to macaroons, to chocolate shots, to blocks of chocolate that smell so rich you can feel yourself gaining weight before you take a bite. You won’t find Hershey or Dove in any of the tents; this festival is reserved for expert chocolatiers, many of whom have been making chocolate for decades.
Left: A fountain of rich dark chocolate surrounded by mounds of fresh strawberries. Right: Molten dark chocolate poured over strawberries and topped with fresh whipped cream.
Courtesy: Emily A. Solley
Most of the booths have their own specialty, but you will find repeat performances of the most popular foods. We did a lap of the festival before buying anything so that we could get an idea of who had the best version of the things we knew we wanted: chocolate strawberries, hot chocolate, and a chocolate liqueur shot in a chocolate shot glass. The chocolate covered strawberries were deceitfully simple. It’s hard to beat melted chocolate on fresh fruit.
A tray of chocolate shot glasses supported by bottles of Turin Chocolat liqueur.
Courtesy: Emily A. Solley
The man running the booth told us that Turin Chocolat is the best chocolate liqueur you can drink. I’m no expert, but this was definitely the most enjoyable alcohol I’ve ever had. With a closely guarded recipe first conceived three generations ago, the liquid itself has a creamy but pleasing texture and a smooth finish. When you’re done, you can eat the shot glass.
In case you haven’t had enough chocolate flavored liquor at this point, you can order a hot chocolate (cioccolato caldo) with rum, Bailey’s, or amaretto. Florentine amaretto is pretty great in hot chocolate, but you can’t go wrong with any of the above. Keep in mind that Italian hot chocolate is thick, rich, and sweet. Many Americans comment that that they might as well have just melted chocolate and put in a cup. Whatever the ingredients, it isn’t anything like Swiss Miss with warm water. Don’t be disappointed if you can’t finish a whole cup.
Cioccolato caldo with Bailey’s.
Courtesy: Emily A. Solley
At this point, we had sworn off chocolate for the rest of our lives, but there was still plenty to look at. We found several booths filled with miniature chocolate sculptures of everything from musical instruments to animals, unbelievably lifelike and perfect gifts. There’s a reason the festival celebrates artisans.
Everything in this photo is made entirely out of chocolate except for the cheese in the background.
Courtesy: Emily A. Solley
An Italian tradition showcasing Florentine talent, Fiera del Cioccolato Artigianale was a great way to spend an afternoon. If you have time afterwards, Santa Maria Novella is an impressive Dominican church holding several masterpieces of the Italian Renaissance, including Masaccio’s Santa Trinità .
Santa Maria Novella.
Courtesy: Emily A. Solley