The city's best cioccolateria

[This egg is 4 feet tall!...and edible!]

Today I went on a private tour of the Gay-Odin Fabbrica di Cioccolato in downtown Naples. Just in time for Easter, we were able to see their action in full swing! Their quota for the holiday season is 20,000 eggs!! They have 10 stores in Naples, 1 in Rome and 1 in Milan. If you ever have the opportunity, stop in to try some of the delicious sweets they have to offer!

There were so many wonderful chocolates to see. It was amazing to watch them make each treat. Everything is done by hand! No machines. They have people to fill wafers by hand, decorate by hand and mold by hand! Here are a just a few descriptions of their specialties:

The “foresta“, a Gay-Odin creation that is a flaky bar of rich chocolate that resembles rough and twisty tree bark. They have a large assortment of other chocolate shapes and variations that include: moo= 3-day-old fudgy chocolate that is then dipped in a hard shell, tarallini= donut-shaped and filled with liquer, noci= walnut shaped and enclosed in a wafer-like casing and ostriche= oyster-shaped and filled with a cream mousse.

During Easter, Neapolitan families stock up on boxes of Gay-Odin goodness to distribute to friends and relatives. They are famous for their large decorated eggs that people put gifts in (anything from toys to engagement rings!).