Scuola del Cioccollato PERUGINA in Umbria

Being an ardent chocolate lover, it’s such a treat to visit a chocolate factory and school – Scuola del Cioccolato PERUGINA in San Sisto, about 10 minutes from Perugia, in the region of Umbria, Italy

You can smell chocolate right away when you pull into the huge parking lot area in front of the buildings. Perugina is famous for their Baci’s (Italian for kisses). I can’t help but wonder which came first - Hershey’s kisses or Perugina’s Baci? Anyway, they both got the same idea. One advantage that Baci has over Hershey’s kisses for me personally, is that the Baci filling has hazelnuts, which I adore. If you plan ahead, you might be able to join an English-speaking tour of the chocolate factory and the chocolate school (see picture above).

If you don’t, then like us, you get to browse around the mini chocolate museum, visit the store and buy some chocolate products and souvenirs. Perugina is now owned by Nestle and since the acquisition, the portfolio has increased. They now have new brands - NERO and LATTE, dark and milk chocolate respectively, and a host of other chocolate products, including cocoa, wafers, chocolate sauces and more. And you might just run into a bunch of very enthusiastic Italian school kids on a field trip!