COFFEE AND CHOCOLATE DELIGHTS
COFFEE AND CHOCOLATE DELIGHTS IN VENICE
With “Coffee and Chocolate delights” you will experience a gourmet side of historical Venice.
Indulge in coffee and chocolate from the finest boutiques that have spoilt generations of Venetians and international celebrities, for more than three hundred years.
Our tour begins in St. Mark Square, also known for the most elegant 18th cent. Coffee houses in the city, Caffè Florian, Caffè Lavena, and Caffè Quadri, used Murano glass cups for hot chocolate.
Your expert guide will introduce you to the history of these overseas raw fruits imported from Mexico and Ethiopia in the 17th cent.
The fancy Cafés in St.Mark Square share lots of features: perfect location, unique decoration, and the profound social impact on the city.
Florian glorious tradition was not over at the fall of the Venice Republic. It became a meeting point for patriots in the Resurgence period, soon before the Unification of Italy.
The tour “Coffee and Chocolate delights” continues with a distinguished chocolate store in Castello district renowned for its quality and the wide variety of cocoa delights.
With the help of the master chocolatier, you will enjoy a true cocoa tasting, and sample premium chocolate varieties of distinct smoothness, characteristic taste, and innovative flair. Learn what a ‘praline’ or a ‘truffle‘ is, how someone happened to combine new ingredients and create exquisite ‘dragées’ and gianduia!
Like chocolate, coffee seemed exotic, even magical,
and soon aroused the interest of those who operated at the Rialto trade center. After a long time, the market area still boasts some excellent coffee houses, where people take a break from the bursting surroundings. You will taste smooth and intense Espresso blends, compared with an African single origin one, where coffee beans are native to, served with delicious Venetian cookies. Desserts balance the bitterness of the concentrated drink and enhance its roasted flavors. Venetian cafeterias are popular places for different customers, depending on the time of day: “Coffee and chocolate delights” will leave you a vivid memory of the local lifestyle! If you are a foodie, book a cooking class with us.Continue reading
HIGHLIGHTS
- Piazza San Marco
- Chocolate store at San Lio
- Coffee House at the Rialto
MORE ABOUT
THIS TOUR
COFFEE AND CHOCOLATE DELIGHTS
Venice became well known throughout the world for its flourishing trade center which connected the Western world with the East and Northern Africa, where the Mamluks lived.
Since the 9th cent. local merchants had already been trading with them, who started to import a black stimulating drink from Yemen in early 1500s, while the beans were grown in Ethiopia.
From Egypt, coffee drinking spread to the Ottoman Empire, and new “kahve houses” were open in Aleppo, Damascus, Baghdad, and Istanbul in 1554.
Venice could not miss this chance and in the early 17th cent. powerful merchants introduced coffee to the city, charging them heavily for the beverage, which caused some troubles with the Papacy too!
The first coffee house in Venice dates back to 1645, and soon became centers of social activity and communication. In 1756 coffee houses were 206, celebrated by poets and playwrights like Carlo Goldoni in the 18th cent., and Giacomo Casanova, the famous Venetian adventurer, and gourmet lover. He was also very fond of chocolate: on the day of his appointment with the noble lady Marina Morosini, Giacomo swallowed six egg yolks and a cup of hot chocolate, hoping to increase his sexual potencies. Chocolate was considered an aphrodisiac drink. It was imported to Rialto from Spain as early as the 17th cent., and highly regarded by the Royal Court. Due to the availability of spices and brown sugar, vanilla and cinnamon seasoned hot and cold chocolate. The peppery beverage imported from Central America did not suit delicate European palates! In the 18th cent., the spice dealer Domenico Guado opened his chocolate house in the Mercerie, the main street connecting St Mark’s Square with the Rialto trade center. Thick and dark, chocolate was a stimulating and energetic drink at breakfast, praised by both the nobility and the middle class, clearly described in a painting by Francesco Guardi, “The morning chocolate”, displayed at Ca’ Rezzonico Museum. In an elegant 18th cent. bedroom an aristocrat lady is holding a white porcelain cup while still seated in her bed, next to a tray filled with Bussolai, the round-shaped cookies. In the background, her husband and a priest are entertaining the lady, and carefully sipping hot chocolate, served by the butler, ready to refill them with the delicious beverage.Continue reading
DRESS CODE AND ADVICE
- No dress code required.
COST
- This tour lasts three hours and costs 280 euros up to six people (not per person), only private parties.
- Chocolate and coffee tasting per person: 37 E
CONTACT US
WALKS INSIDE ITALY
ART CITY WALKS aff. Network Giv
San Polo 1541 30125 VENICE, ITALY
C.F. e P. Iva 04331170276
Prot. 2016/16140 del 25-2-2016
Polizza Europ Assistance 8957877
