It’s Valentine’s month and what better than Tuscan chocolate to celebrate! How about a box of handmade chocolates to gift your loved one? A nice cup of hot chocolate to send the cold away and warm your heart isn’t bad either!

Florence has a tradition when it comes to chocolate. It all starts in the early 1600s, when Florentine merchant Francesco Carletti managed to bring the first cocoa beans to Florence. The Medici were among the most important defenders of chocolate (at the time it was a drink) and its use quickly spread throughout Tuscany.

The enthusiasm of the Florentines was so great that it stimulated the birth of a Tuscan chocolate industry that started in the second half of the 17th century by Cosimo III with his well-equipped laboratory.

Traditional Tuscan artisanal chocolate has long been considered a product of absolute qualitative value, both due to the technique and the innovation that Tuscan artisanal chocolatiers have managed to impose on the market. It is now widespread and appreciated all over the world. All chocolatiers are proud to be artisans and, despite their success, they want to continue their business following the path of tradition.

The great Tuscan chocolate revolution occurred in the 1980s, during which Mannori, Slitti, Amedei and De Bondt were born and established, names that today mean, throughout the world, quality artisanal chocolate.

Want to know where to try these delicacies in Florence? We have selected the best locations for you.

Rivoire

Located in the splendid Piazza della Signoria, this historic literary café offers the best chocolates in the city, with a plus of the magnificent view of Palazzo Vecchio and Loggia dei Lanzi.

Vestri

Located along Borgo Albizi, Vestri is a superb chocolate shop where you can have an almost infinite variety of pralines and high quality chocolate.

Venchi

Founded in 1878, the historic Piedmontese chocolate company offers a large variety of pralines and a wide range of chocolates, from extra dark to gianduja up to savory white.