This is a gourmet and sweets lovers' tour. Tuscany, and Florence in particular, had a very important role in the introduction and diffusion of chocolate in Italy and it was probably a Florentine, F. D'Antonio Carletti, who, in 1606, introduced it to the country.
Info & Booking
The program
10:00 am - Meeting at Dante monument in S.Croce Square or at your hotel in Florence.
10:30 am - Visit to the Coccole and Cioccolato laboratory. Guided chocolate tasting.
11:30 am - Visit L'Arte del Cioccolato laboratory with video demonstration. Guided chocolate and ice-cream tasting.
13:00 pm - Lunch at Gastone Restaurant with its faboulous desserts.
2:30 pm - Visit to Vestri’s or Carapina chocolate laboratory with tasting.
The price of the program includes: an expert guide in your language (English, French, German, Spanish and Japanese), the guided visit and tasting to the laboratories, a sweet lunch with cold and warm drinks.
Cancellation policy: 100% refund for cancellations at least 15 days before the tour; 50% refund from 14 to 2 days before the tour; no refund for further cancellations and no shows.
The Chocolate Artisans of Florence
It was the Spanish who brought chocolate to Europe from America at the end of the 16th century, and for the first decade or so, the secret was jealously preserved. It probably was the Florentine Antonio Carletti who discovered the chocolate secret on his travels and brought it to Italy in 1606. In those long-ago days, chocolate would be prepared as a hot creamy liquid - and the Medici fell in love with this nectar of the gods as soon as they tasted it. Cosimo III had his personal scientist create a special new blend, the recipe for which was guarded as a Medici “state secret.” This was the jasmine chocolate recipe, known as the “Grand Duke\'s recipe.” The Vestri family of Florence has recreated this recipe at their chocolate laboratory, and you\'ll be able to taste it on your tour.
Your first stop of the day will be at the chocolate artisan workshop Coccole e Cioccolato, created by David Bellotti in 2009. Located near the San Lorenzo square in Florence, Coccole e Cioccolato is a comfortable, elegant cafe and tea room and a producer of high quality pastry and chocolate. Here, you\'ll get a chance to taste the excellent chocolates during the guided chocolate tasting.
Your second stop will be at the L\'Arte del Cioccolato chocolate laboratory, where master chocolatier Roberto Catinari creates chocolates that will make your mouth water... You\'ll be shown a video demonstration and experience a guided chocolate and gelato (ice cream) tasting.
Time for lunch at Ristorante Gastone. Located in a delightful neighborhood near Santa Croce, in the rooms of an old bakery, Gastone is a fine new wine bar restaurant. Sit back and enjoy – the dessert menu is particularly delicious!
Your day of sweetness will conclude with a final tasting either at the Vestri chocolate laboratory, or at the Carapina gelateria.
At Vestri\'s you won\'t just find the “Grand Duke\'s Recipe” (the jasmine chocolate created for Cosimo III). You\'ll discover a high quality, family-owned and run workshop where everything is handled carefully – from the growing of the cocoa plant to the finishing touches on the individual chocolates. Not only will you discover Vestri\'s famous chocolate creations, you\'ll also attend a gelato making demonstration.
Carapina is the passion of its founder, Simone Bonini. The best and freshest ingredients are used to produce the Carapina gelato daily, in small batches only. Some twenty flavors are waiting to be discovered by you in their small containers – an ice cream experience you won\'t forget.
Cancellation Policy
- 100% refund for cancellations at least 15 days before the tour
- 50% refund from 14 to 2 days before the tour
- No refund for further cancellations and no-shows