SORRY, YOU MISSED IT….
The History of Chocolate in Italy and
A Virtual Tour of the Perugina Chocolate Factory
Saturday, March 13, 2021, with Stefania Belli
We learned about the history of chocolate, starting from its homeland in Mexico and tracing the path of its export, first to Europe, thanks to Cortez, and then to the rest of the world. Few know that the real “home of chocolate” is in Umbria. Founded by the Buitoni and Spagnoli families at the beginning of the 20th century, Perugina is the company that created Perugina Baci (Kisses). We discovered, through video, how chocolates are produced and did a “virtual tasting” of typical recipes, some unfamiliar to most people. Umbria has made chocolate one of its principal products, even dedicating a unique festival to it to sweeten the arrival of winter. The fest is called Festival EuroChocolate and this year will take place from October 15–24. This sweetest event attracts about 900,000 visitors annually to the beautiful city of Perugia
This workshop was presented by Stefania Belli, director of the institute of Italian language and culture, La Lingua La Vita. Ms. Belli is a graduate in Language and Foreign Literature of the IULM University of Milan. She founded La Lingua La Vita more than 30 years ago, spurred by a love and passion for languages as an expression of a people, their traditions and history and ultimately, as treasures that recount the evolution of society and the adventures of individuals. In addition to teaching and creating courses and cultural programs for La Lingua La Vita, she has taught in the U.S. at Penn State University, La Scuola Italiana in New York City and La Lingua La Vita in Long Beach, California.
