Italy’s Turin is a chocolate lover’s dream
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Tucked away in the far northwest of Italy is a city where chocolate reigns. The residents of Turin have been creating—and consuming—chocolate since the 16th century, culminating in a vibrant chocolate scene that now encompasses gourmet chocolatiers, pastry shops, cafes, gelato makers and experimental chefs.
I love Italy, and I love chocolate. So Turin was the ideal place for my vacation this past spring. To tour Turin is to discover local chocolate dishes that have long flourished here while remaining relatively little-known outside the region such as bicerin, Turin’s own luscious hot chocolate featuring layers of espresso and whipped cream, and bonet, a cool, creamy, pitch-dark dessert that tastes like a chocolate-infused caramel pudding.
Turin even has its own signature chocolate variation: gianduja, an aromatic blend of cocoa, sugar and hazelnut paste. Federico Zanasi, executive chef of the Michelin-star Turin restaurant Condividere and a transplant from north-central Italy’s Emilia-Romagna, says the city’s chocolate scene reminds him of France’s Champagne region, where large brands of bubbly with international standing compete with small producers with niche followings. But chocolate is hardly a luxury here.
For 2 euros (about $2.15), Torinese on their way to work can have a quick morning cornetto, an Italian pastry dosed with gianduja in a heady riff on a chocolate croissant. And some top-of-the-line artisanal chocolatiers will let you choose a customized assortment of four or five pralines, priced by the kilo, for less than 5 euros. As legend has it, chocolate came to Turin in the 16th century, when Emmanuel Philibert, a duke of the Italian royal house of Savoy, celebrated his
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