This coming weekend the 24th annual Eurochocolate festival continues in Perugia! Perugia, a hilltop city in the Italian region of Umbria, has been chocolate focused since the early 1900s when Luisa Spagnoli brought chocolate to the region. Luisa and her husband, along with a couple of other partners eventually opened “La Perugina.” After World War I, Luisa started a romantic and business relationship with Giovanni Buitoni. Together they created the “bacio” which Perugina is famous for today. Completely unrelated, Eugenio Guarducci, a Perugian native, was also a chocolate lover. He drew up the idea for a chocolate festival in Perugia after a trip to Oktoberfest. He wanted the same idea, but centered around chocolate, instead of beer. The first festival was held in 1994 and it has brought thousands of visitors since. Each year the festival has a theme. This year it is “all other music,” blending music with chocolate. This explains the huge sculpture of a chocolate piano you’ll find below and the men walking around all day with long horns (above). They also played all kinds of sweet themed songs like “A Spoon Full of Sugar.” A day in Perugia can be a bit overwhelming. Having attended a chocolate festival and a gelato festival before, I thought I had an idea what it would be like. But this was something else. It isn’t one strip of tents-- its tents lining several streets and sections of the city. Luckily, maps are available throughout the city to guide you. Here are my helpful tips for a successful day in Perugia: Strategically pick a route We wandered around, without remembering where we had really been and where we hadn’t. There was no organization in our day. It’s not that it didn’t work out, but by getting a layout of the city and where each of the tents are you can make sure you see it all. This also helps you when you spot something early on that you like but aren’t sure if you want to buy yet. Once you finally make a decision you’ll know where to back-track to. (smiling because this was before I realized I wasted 6 euro) Take note of where the real food is! I didn’t want to spend money at a random bar when there a full festival food set out just for me! But, when I first arrived, I hadn’t eaten breakfast and I was starving. Without much patience I quickly grabbed a chocolate crepe for breakfast. It set off my chocolatey day in a way I didn’t want because I got chocolated-out a little too early and on something I can get anywhere. The friends I was with also grew impatient looking for “real food” and just went to a random bar. The “real-food” is there! It is located by the outlook into the beautiful surrounding hillsides. If nothing there appeals to you, there are lots of little pizzerias hidden in tiny alleyways that are unique to Perugia but with more traditional Italian food. Skip the Choco-card It is 6 euro for 10 stations. But, the chocolate samples are tiny, they are well known brands you can get in the U.S. like Lindt, and some of them aren’t even chocolate! Rucola? Yogurt? After searching the map for each location, you waste even more time standing in line! Plenty of tents will hand out samples for free, without the line. Save your money on homemade chocolate delicacies and truffles that you can only find in Italy! Leave some time to take in the view! The view, by the “real food,” was stunning. While the festival is in October, the weather is still incredible this time of year, in this region. It was 80 and sunny! Sitting on the ledge overlooking Umbria was my favorite part. Explore some of Perugia’s local businesses Not only is Perugia home to the annual chocolate festival but, as stated above, it is home to Perugina, the most well-known chocolate in Italy. The city has been chocolate centered for almost a century, it is fun to explore the local businesses and see what every day chocolatey life is like in Perugia. Visit the museum! There is free entry during festival days! Take advantage of the ChocoMuseum! See at least one cool chocolate demonstration or sculpture: I saw this huge piano made of chocolate! Eat more than you drink This is one of my big regrets. I filled my stomach up on alcohol. While most of it was chocolatey alcohol, the liquid expands your stomach and with the added sweetness, I felt pretty gross. As I’ll state below, I recommend a drink, but maybe not three. Plan your exit accordingly After a long day of chocolate, the sugar highs come to a crash. Everyone is eager to leave! The herd of people all trying to fit in the small tram cars at once creates a mad house. Head down a bit earlier or later to escape rush hour. Treat yourself to a chocolate spa I didn’t do this, but I wish I did! Pick a beauty treatment that uses chocolate as the secret ingredient. Get one or all from the list below: 1. Chocolate cocktail While there are mixed reviews on overall taste (I personally wasn’t the biggest fan) it’s a fun one-of-a-kind item to get at the festival! They will make everything from a mojito to a Moscow mule to a spritz--chocolate style. 2. ChocoKebab This one is not only delicious but fun to watch! They have a huge blocks of cremino in a tube shape that the meat for meal kebabs are usually in. They shave chunks off it the way meat is shaved into a kebab! The rest of the sandwich is stuffed with all kinds of sweets of your choice. 3. Chocolate ravioli Chocolate pasta can seem weird but I truly recommend it! The pasta itself isn’t super sweet. The ravioli it is still filled with a ricotta cheese which makes it both similar to regular ravioli but also fitting since ricotta is perfectly normal in a sweet (its used in Cannolis)! Drizzled with chocolate on top and other toppings like fresh strawberries, it’s a wild treat and as Italian as it gets! If you can find it, I suggest buying a whole bag of chocolate pasta to take home and make. I purchased some in Lucca, Italy and made it in the states with a creamy Nutella sauce, white chocolate shavings and raspberries! 4. Churros with chocolate Crispy churros, which you don’t usually find around Florence, with chocolate drizzled on top, whose mouth isn’t watering? This was my grand finale. 5. Cremino Cremino is a must at chocolate festival. You can find traditional cremino at many tents or go to the “Cremino” tent where you can pick out specific flavors in little blocks. I got oreo, kinder, tiramisu, pistachio and Nutella! Last but not least…. 6. Chocolate beer!
While, as written above, I don’t suggest filling up on too much liquid, I’d pick between this and the cocktail or take this to-go. This is a specialty, not just because chocolate porters are delicious (and fairly normal, unlike the cocktail) but the specific chocolate porter I bought was brewed for the Perugia EuroChocolate festival! It’s also exiting because at breweries in Italy you don’t find many stouts and porters the way you do in the states. So it’s limited time and rare! This one was light in body but chocolatey as hell! Get yourself to Perugia before its too late! The Eurochocolate Festival should be on everyone's bucketlist!
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