Since Thursday, Piazza Santa Croce in Florence, Italy, has hosted the Chocolate Festival. God, a girl could fall in love here! Or perhaps, out. In fact, I saw my friend Janné on the Ponte alle Grazie on Friday afternoon as he peered over the edge into the Fiume Arno (Arno River). He said with some dismay that his girlfriend Alba did not even look at him for a whole hour because she was so enchanted by what she saw at the Chocolate Festival. She especially enjoyed the large sculpture of a chocolate pig. I wish you could have seen his sweet, young sad face as he described their visit there the night before. (No worries, he was not feeling suicidal. He was simply waiting for her to arrive for their lunch date.)
My favorite temptations that I drooled over but have not succumbed to (yet?) were the chocolate liquors, a chocolate with curry, and some choco balls rolled in pistachio. And I am totally enchanted by the assortment of tools, such as pliers, made entirely from chocolate and dusted to look like they are rusty tools. And, some chocolate teas caught my eye. Oh, did I forget the candied ginger dipped in chocolate? Hmmm . . . will I be able to resist returning tomorrow with some euros in hand? It is the last day of this year’s Chocolate Festival in Firenze.
2 comments:
I can remember when I was in Italy and France buying chocolates that had liquor in them. It was a special treat when I wasn't able to get a drink of something. It was terriably illegal because I wasin the navy on a ship. But you know wheres there a desire theres a way, lol...Rodney oh I was in europe from late 1964 to early 1965
Ok, so I did succumb, although when I went back on Sunday evening, the piazza was PACKED -- even more crowded than "dancing" inside the Brazilian club her in Firenze. So, I sought out the booth that sold the bite-size pieces of chocolate with curry and fragola (strawberry). What a taste explosion. Definitely a "wasabi moment." I figured that if I were to buy something, it should be decadent and maybe a bit exotic.
The other chocolates I bought were: pistachio, grappa (an Italian booze with a decent kick), rum ball, amaretto, liqueur, limoncello (a specialty lemon liqueur from the Napoli region in Southern Italy), and some other alcholic flavor that I cannot remember.
These all came from Chic & Shock Cafeteria & Gelateria, Via dei Marchesi, 13 - Volterra, Italia. And they have all been FAN-TAS-TIC thus far!!
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