A trio of tours
Behind with the blog as usual, there will be a flurry of posts in the next few weeks. Or maybe not. Time will tell.
The Torino tourism office hosts "Made in Torino" tours which highlight unique products from the city. In October, I visited the Leone candy factory which has been producing sugary treats since 1857. What an awesome behind-the-scenes look at a happy workplace! They were cranking out strawberry and rose flavored hard candies, violet pastiglie (chalky candies shaped like pencil erasers), chewy orange slices, jelly fruit cubes and a smattering of other delights. In the Chocolate Room, cocoa beans were being ground by granite wheels.
Talk about a Willy Wonka experience! Throughout the tour we were offered handfuls of freshly made candy, some still warm from production. "The strawberries taste like strawberries, the snozberries taste like snozberries!!" Leone uses only real fruit, spices and flowers in their candies, and the smells in the factory were mouthwatering.
Except for the crabby salesperson, the factory store was fab, too. Who could be cranky working in a candy store with unlimited free samples??!! By the time we left, my teeth were tingling and my heart was racing, but I was pretty darn happy.
Eric and I toured the Caffarel chocolate factory last week. Nestled in the foothills of the alps, Caffarel is one of the oldest chocolate producers in Europe -- founded in 1826. As soon as we stepped off the bus the smell of chocolate was intoxicating, and handfuls of warm chocolates fresh off the line made it worth the hassle of wearing lab coats, hairnets and loaner steel-toe shoes for the tour.
Since the 1950s, Martini has sponsored auto racing teams.
From their website: RACING IS IN OUR BLOOD. Racing is life. Flowing. Rushing. Souls shaken by the energy of the track. Senses heightened by the perfume of burnt rubber.
oh brother...
I keep having flashbacks to my childhood, with Martini & Rossi Asti spumante & vermouth ads from TV running through my head. Here's a favorite from the 70s. I apologize if it gets stuck in your head or comes back to haunt you too. Just click here: Angie & Burt -- say YES
cin cin & alla salute~
Peggy
The Torino tourism office hosts "Made in Torino" tours which highlight unique products from the city. In October, I visited the Leone candy factory which has been producing sugary treats since 1857. What an awesome behind-the-scenes look at a happy workplace! They were cranking out strawberry and rose flavored hard candies, violet pastiglie (chalky candies shaped like pencil erasers), chewy orange slices, jelly fruit cubes and a smattering of other delights. In the Chocolate Room, cocoa beans were being ground by granite wheels.
Talk about a Willy Wonka experience! Throughout the tour we were offered handfuls of freshly made candy, some still warm from production. "The strawberries taste like strawberries, the snozberries taste like snozberries!!" Leone uses only real fruit, spices and flowers in their candies, and the smells in the factory were mouthwatering.
Except for the crabby salesperson, the factory store was fab, too. Who could be cranky working in a candy store with unlimited free samples??!! By the time we left, my teeth were tingling and my heart was racing, but I was pretty darn happy.
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| Eric walking towards the Caffarel factory |
Gianduiotti were created by Caffarel as a way to deal with cocoa shortages after the Napoleonic wars. To extend their chocolate supply, they blended it with a smooth paste of
Piedmont hazelnuts. Originally named “givù”, which in Piemontese dialect translates as
“small delicacy”, Caffarel changed the name in 1867 following a
Carnival celebration during which an actor dressed as a local character, Gianduja, distributed the newly created chocolate to the crowd. These were the first wrapped chocolates in history and they were an overnight sensation! If you like Nutella, then you would love gianduiotti.
Lindt purchased the company a few years ago and current regulations prevented us from taking photos inside the factory. I wasn't planning to steal trade secrets, but I was tempted to dive into a vat of warm chocolate. This time the factory store was staffed by friendly people who thrilled to see us spend a lot of money on their delicious chocolate.
This week we visited the Martini & Rossi production facilities for vermouth, spumante, liqueurs and wine. Torino is the birthplace of vermouth, a wine infused with herbs including absenth/artemesia, spices, fruit plus some secret ingredients. Vermouth was first created in 1786 by Antonio Carpano and is still being produced with his original recipes.
Martini & Rossi began producing their own style of
vermouth about 100 years later.
We were stunned by the size of the
M&R plant which operates 24 hours/day and has 26 200,000 and 14 100,000 liter stainless steel
vessels for 'aging' each batch of vermouth for a week or so. These tanks are ginormous, and it's easy to see why employees refer to this part of the plant as The Cathedral. Again, no cameras allowed inside the factory, but here are some photos of us drinking. That's something new, right?!
We sampled red and white vermouth made in the old style, plus a yummy cocktail made with a new product called Fiero.
Since the 1950s, Martini has sponsored auto racing teams.
From their website: RACING IS IN OUR BLOOD. Racing is life. Flowing. Rushing. Souls shaken by the energy of the track. Senses heightened by the perfume of burnt rubber.
oh brother...
cin cin & alla salute~
Peggy
Looks amazing!
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