Where's Wonka?!

On Saturday morning, my friends and I were up before the sun to catch an early train to Perugia, an enchanting hilltop city 2 hours south of Florence.

I’ll be the first to admit that I am a chocoholic…so when we learned that we could tour the Perugina Chocolate Factory (home of Europe’s famous Baci chocolate); naturally that was our first stop!

One of the first things you notice when arriving at the factory is the distinct aroma-the smell of fresh chocolate envelops you like a warm blanket. It's hard not to feel like you are Charlie at the Wonka Factory! We took a tour to see how the Baci chocolates are manufactured. Baci (Italian for "kisses") is a hazelnut covered by sweet chocolate that is then wrapped in a love note.

 My favorite part of the tour was when we were placed in front of a long table filled with samples of all the chocolate they produce. We were literally able eat as much as we pleased and take as much as our purses and hands could hold. I was in a chocolate coma by the time this part of the tour was finished!

After gorging on way more chocolate than I’d even like to admit, we somehow managed to find room in our stomachs for some delicious wood-fired pizza at Pizzeria Mediterranea.

 Exploring of Perugia’s medieval buildings and streets were next on our agenda. I quickly found that my favorite part about this town was the fact that its high location allowed us to simultaneously see every angle of the countryside and the city.

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!