Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Chocolate World
470
Valle di Cioccolato
Slow Food Chocolate
Tuscany, Italy
Tuscany doesn't have a long-standing tradi-
tion of chocolate-making like Bologna does;
still, it has something just as vital—a Slow
Food veneration for culinary artisans. Even
though they can't grow cacao beans on the
rounded hills of Tuscany like they grow
grapes and olives, once they've imported
the beans, a new generation of confection-
ers is now producing high-end chocolate
the same way their colleagues produce
wine and olive oil—in small batches with
fanatical attention to ingredients.
With Florence as a starting point, you
can sample products from several of these
artisans at ever-crowded
Hemingway
(Piazza Piattellina 9/r;
&
39/55/284-781
),
a tiny cafe-bar in the heart of the historic
center specializing in rich hot chocolate,
indulgent fudgy cakes, and handmade pra-
lines. The old-fashioned fine-foods shop
Procacci
(via Tornabuoni 64/r;
&
39/55/
211-656
), which dates from 1885, sells
top-of-the-line mixed chocolates as well,
on the city's swankiest shopping street.
Keep a special lookout for chocolate bars
and pralines with the
Amadei Chocolate
label; using beans from their own South
American plantations, Amadei produces
these exceptional chocolates in a small
cheery atelier near Pisa in Pontedera (call
&
39/587/484849
and you may be able to
arrange a tour). Another chocolate haven
in Florence is
Vestri
(Borgo degli Albizi
11/r;
&
39/55-284-781
), which sells choc-
olates made at the family plant in Arezzo;
their intriguing flavors range from nutmeg
to chili pepper to Earl Grey tea.
But that's just the beginning: Drive the
E76 highway between Pisa and Florence
and you'll have to stop off every few miles
to visit chocolate artisans. One absolutely
essential stop is in the small town of Algi-
ana, halfway between Prato and Pistoia, to
sample the wares of
Roberto Catinari
(via Provinciale 378;
&
39/574/718506;
www.robertocatinari.it), generally regarded
as the godfather of this new breed of Tus-
can chocolatiers. His pralines are precisely
sculpted little gems, including a line of nut-
flavored chocolates that uncannily resem-
ble the nuts themselves. Also in Algiana is
the chocolate laboratory
Mannori Espace
(via G Bruno 12;
&
39/574/719557;
www.
mannoriespace.it), where dynamic young
pastry chef Luca Mannori has been ventur-
ing deeper and deeper into the art of
making chocolate. Check to see if any
chocolate-making classes or demonstra-
tions are scheduled while you're here. He
also has a shop in Prato, at via Lazzerini 2
(
&
39/574/21628
).
In Pistoia, you can sample traditional
handmade chocolates from
Corsini
(Piazza
San Francesco 42;
&
39/573/20138;
www.
brunocorsini.com), sold in this shop since
1918. East of Pistoia, venture off the high-
way to find
Slitti Cioccolate e Caffé
(Via
Franceso Sud 1268, Monsummano Terme;
&
39/572/640-240;
www.slitti.it), where
Andrea Slitti's show-stopping chocolate
sculptures and fanciful pralines are made
out of an exceptionally full-bodied choco-
late. And once you've reached Pisa, make a
beeline for
DeBondt Chocolate,
Lungarno
Pacinotto 5, Pisa (
&
39/50/316-0073;
www.
debondtchocolate.com), where Dutch-born
chocolate maker Paul DeBondt flavors his
satiny chocolate with exotic tastes such as
jasmine, ginger, tea, cardamom, fennel, cin-
namon, and lemon-lime. Tours and tastings
