Cioccolato

In my post of September 21, 2009 I wrote about the giant bar of chocolate my sister sent from Italy. On holiday for two weeks, her first Tuscan mission was to find Amedei's chocolate factory in Pontedera, Pisa.

In her own words, "It wasn’t very far away, although it was hard to find. We did find it however and of course, like many places in Italy, it was closed. Everything shuts down for lunch from 1:30 to 4:00 pm. Anyway, we arrived at the factory and I peeked over the fence and pressed the buzzer. No answer. I don’t think they are really open to the public.

Not long after, a delivery truck came and they opened the gate. So in I went, determined to get chocolate for my big sister. A man came out and I explained that I was from Canada and was looking for chocolate for my sister. She says it is the best chocolate in the world. He didn’t speak English, but told me in Italian that they didn’t sell chocolate. I asked where I could buy it and he went in to get a business card."

After such a declaration what else could he possibly do? Not to be defeated, my sister asked if she could come in to take a couple of photos. And guess what? She could!

Several snaps later, with free samples to boot, my sister and her husband left to find La Bottega del Caffé ... and my chocolate. And what a charming shop it is. Just look at the shop's exterior. The chocolate purchased, the next stop was the post office to mail it to me. And it was on its way.

Note: Photos were taken by my sister.

Italian Chocolate

Look what my sister sent me from her holiday in Italy! My favourite Italian chocolate. I have placed it on a large dinner plate so you can see just what a huge bar it is. Thick too! This chocolate has a lovely smooth texture as it melts in your mouth and the taste is simply devine. It's not surprising that this chocolate, made in the province of Pisa, has won all sorts of awards.