In this final post of the year, I would like to mention a historic chocolatier and confectionery in Turin, the capital of Piedmont – a region of Italy bordering France and Switzerland. My first encounter with “Caffè Baratti & Milano” was the moment it caught my eye while browsing the book I bought from Assouline, one of my favourite publishers with special collection books, titled “Italian Chic” – a book of chic and beautiful images of Italy. When I came across this cafe for the second time within a short period in an article in National Geographic Traveller, I decided to write this post. (Photo above: Taken from the book ‘Italian Chic‘ by Assouline, with my mobile phone)

Regions of Italy and Piedmont Region Map (Pinterest). (Turin (or Torino in Italian), the capital of Piedmont region, is surrounded by the Alps. It borders with France, Switzerland and  Italian regions of Lombardy, Liguria, Aosta Valley, and Emilia Romagna. Piedmont is close to popular destinations like Milan, Geneva, the French Riviera, Portofino and Lake Como).

The “Vineyard Landscape of Piedmont” together with the wine-growing areas is recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Turin is renowned for its high-quality wines and is said to be one of the top wine regions in Italy. The region is also known for its truffles (truffle hunting tours are held). (Photo above: mapandfamily.com) (Note also that Piedmont has numerous ski resorts and Turin hosted 2006 Winter Olympics (Torino 2006).)

Above is an image from Parco del Valentino (known as ‘il Valentino‘ among the people of Turin), the oldest and most famous public park in Turin located on the banks of the Po river. The park contains “Castello del Valentino“, a royal residence of the ‘House of Savoy’ and a beautiful 19th century fountain with marble statues (“Fontana dei Mesi“) (parcovalentino.com) (Photos above: Taken from the book ‘Italian Chic’ by Assouline, with my mobile phone)

Turin is known for its beautiful architecture, historic cafes, and confectioners creating special products. Baratti & Milano, opened in 1858, is famous for its chocolate, especially ‘Gianduiotto‘. The founders of Baratti & Milano, Ferdinando Baratti and Edoardo Milano had been the chocolate makers (official chocolatiers) to the Italian Royal Family of Savoy.

“Stupinigi Palace” in Nichelino near Turin. The palace was a hunting lodge but also hosted aristocratic weddings of the Savoy sovereigns. (Photo: barattiandmilano.com)

Turin had become the capital of the Duchy of Savoy in 1563, and the first capital of the Kingdom of Italy after the unification. Being a royal dynasty of Europe founded in the 11th century, the Royal House of Savoy led the Italian unification (Risorgimento) and ruled the Kingdom of Italy from 1861 until 1946, the foundation of the Republic. The “Residences of The Royal House of Savoy” in Turin are part of the UNESCO World Heritage List with their baroque character. Most of the palaces (museums today) including the Royal Palace are located in ‘Piazza Castello‘ – one of the main squares where “Baratti & Milano” is also located. (britannica.com, barattiandmilano.com)

“Palazzo Madama“, a fine art museum which had been a residence of the Savoys in the 1600s, in Piazza Castello, Turin
(Photo: thebestofturin.com)

‘Piazza San Carlo‘, a scenic square in Turin with beautiful buildings and baroque churches, which is connected to ‘Piazza Castello’ by Via Roma, the main city street (italia.it). The baroque arcade of Piazza San Carlo is lined with shops and historic cafes, the meeting places of intellectuals, offering Piedmontese chocolate and specialities. The best known is “Caffè Torino”, once a haunt of Pavese, Einaudi and De Gasperi, and welcomed celebrities including James Stewart and Ava Gardner. (italia.it, National Geographic Traveller)

Caffè Torino, opened in 1903, is known for its chic interior. (Photo: caffetorino1903.it)

Two historical cafes in the historic squares (‘piazza‘s) in Turin: “Caffè Torino” in Piazza San Carlo (left) and “Baratti & Milano” in Piazza Castello (right) (Photos: nationalgeographic.com, by Simon Bajada)

“Baratti & Milano” is famous for its ‘gianduiotto‘(giandujotto), a Piedmont chocolate shaped as ingots and individually wrapped in a gold or silver colored foil, and made from and named after ‘gianduja‘ (gianduia), a chocolate blend with 30% or more hazelnut paste, with an interesting story…

‘Gianduja’ offered at Caffè Torino / Gianduiotto chocolates (Photos: cafetorino1973.it / barattiandmilano.com)

Gianduja has been originally the name of a marionette character of Italian ‘Commedia dell’Arte‘ representing native peasant of the Piedmontese countryside with a tricorn hat and a brown jacket, which today is the official carnival mask of Turin.

Italy’s historic Carnival of Ivrea in Piedmont, known for its Battle of the Oranges (Photo: 123rf.com) / Gianduja – a carnival character (Photo by Walther Jervolino via gelatovillage.co.uk)

The story of gianduja, as a type of confectionery, dates back to Napoleon’s era. In 1806, Napoleon Bonaparte (military commander, Emperor of France and King of Italy then) increased import taxes on certain English goods including cocoa beans. Due to the rise in cocoa prices, chocolatiers started to mix cocoa with other raw materials like the famous Piedmont hazelnuts – leading to the chocolate paste created by a chocolatier from Turin, named “gianduja”. (iitaly.org, worldwidechocolate.com)

It seems that we owe a lot to Napoleon for delicacies like gianduja and nutella, a world-famous chocolate hazelnut spread. (Nutella is manufactured by the Italian company Ferrero, which had first opened in the small town of Alba in Piedmont.) (Photo: thevintagenews.com)

It is said that Paul Caffarel, founder of Caffarel Chocolates in Turin, invented the first gianduiotto during Turin’s carnival in 1865. (caffarel.com, worldwidechocolate.com)

The founders of Baratti & Milano have perfected the Gianduiotto and also invented the “cremino” – a cube-shaped three-layer chocolate: outer layers of gianduja chocolate and an inner layer consisting of a chocolate paste with various flavors such as coffee, almond, hazelnut or lemon. (barattiandmilano.com)

Cremino – A classic Italian chocolate first created by ‘Baratti & Milano‘ in Turin (Photos: barattiandmilano.com)

Turin has a chocolate culture dating back centuries. Chocolate in many jolly forms is served in historic cafes along with various confectioneries. “Merande Reale (royal snack)” is a local speciality that originated in 1700s, in which hot chocolate is served with traditional sweets and biscuits for dunking – a ritual like English afternoon tea, yet created more than a century earlier. “Bicerin“, a traditional hot drink, is another Turin speciality made of three layers – espresso, hot chocolate, and whipped milk or cream. (nationalgeographic.com, forbes.com)

The Merenda Reale is a Turin ritual. Turin hot chocolate is said to be thick and rich. (Photo: Getty Images via forbes.com).

Caffè Al Bicerin, opened in 1763, is the birthplace of Bicerin, the traditional drink of Turin. Al Bicerin, a cafe with a great history, had once hosted reputable people like Ernest Hemingway and Friedrich Nietzsche. (turismotorino.org, National Geographic Traveller (Autumn 2023))

Caffè Al Bicerin, a small cosy cafe  in ‘Piazza della Consolata‘, Turin (photo: obonparis.com) (Umberto Eco had writen about Caffè Al Bicerin in his novel ‘The Prague Cemetery’ as mentioned in the cafe’s website.)

Bicerin, traditional Turin hot drink, at Caffè Al Bicerin (Photo: italysegreta.com)
(I have read that French writer Alexandre Dumas senior mentioned the bicerin as one of the things not to be missed in Turin. (bicerin.it))

You can have the Merenda Reale at certain historic cafes in Turin like ‘Baratti & Milano‘, ‘Caffè San Carlo‘, ‘Moderna Torrefazione Caffè‘, ‘Caffè Mulassano‘, ‘Caffé Elena‘ or ‘Pfatisch‘. These cafes were once the meeting places of artists, intellectuals and politicians and most of them are members of ‘Historic Cafès Route‘ established by Council of Europe.

Caffè San Carlo, dating from 1822, located in ‘Piazza San Carlo’ with a sumptuous palatial interior decor. (Photos: forbes.com / historiccafesroute.com) (As one of the most famous haunts of intellectuals and Italian patriots, the cafe was closed several times. Giovanni Giolitti, Francesco Crispi, Alexandre Dumas (son), Antonio Gramsci and Admiral Cagni were among its guests. (historiccafesroute.com))

Caffè Mulassano, a classic cafe located in Piazza Castello – cosy and elegant with wood panels, marbles and mirrors. It is said the cafe, preferred by many Italians, is known for its ‘tramezzino‘ (Italian style club sandwich). (Photo: obonparis.com)

Caffé Elena, another historic cafe founded in 1889, overlooks ‘Piazza Vittorio Veneto‘, the largest open square of Turin surrounded by arcades. Once a meeting place of the students and musicians and loved and frequented by the Italian writer Cesare Pavese, the cafe is known for its Carpano Vermouth. (historiccafesroute.com) (Photos: tripadvisor.co.nz)

Caffè Baratti & Milano, the elegant historic cafe in ‘Piazza Castello’ which inspired me to write this post, is known for its chocolates. Its cremino chocolates are sold internationally which I have just found traces of in Istanbul owing to this post. (Photo above: educated-traveller.com).

Baratti & Milano in the historic ‘Galleria Subalpina‘ arcade, is chic and elegant with its stylish curtains, chandeliers, wooden panels, bronzes and marbles. (Photos: flawless.life / barattiandmilano.com). The cafe was once the meeting place of the bourgeoisie and intellectuals like D’Azeglio, Giolitti and Luigi Einaudi and had been awarded the title ‘Official supplier of the Royal House‘ (historiccafesroute.com).

Caffè Gelateria Fiorio interior in red velvets, the rooms of which were once reserved for Turin’s nobles (Photo: flawless.life)

Caffè Fiorio, founded in 1780 and located on Via Po in Turin, is also a historic cafe known for its gelato (ice cream). The cafe was initially frequented by aristocrats and high officials of the time and was once popular among the intellectual and political classes of the Kingdom of Sardinia, such that King Carlo Alberto had the custom of asking ‘what was said at Caffè Fiorio‘ before opening his hearings. Urbano Rattazzi, Massimo D’Azeglio, Giovanni Prati, Camillo Benso Conte di Cavour, Giacinto Provana di Collegno, Cesare Balbo and Friedrich Nietzsche were among the regulars. (historiccafesroute.com)

The cafe is especially famous for its gianduia gelato (chocolate ice cream). It is said that ‘ice cream cones of Fiorio once helped break the taboo of women eating in the street‘. (National Geographic Traveller, Autumn 2023 issue).

Gianduia gelato at Fiorio – tasting this special ice cream at its legendary place is a pleasant privilege / A tempting pistachio pastry at Caffè Fiori. (Photos by Simon Bajada for National Geographic Traveller, Autumn 2023 issue)

‘Il Festivo chocolate cake‘, the signature pastry of “Pfatisch“, another historic cafe in Turin. The cake is of cacao meringue discs, chocolate chantilly cream, and chocolate sprinkles. Jolly! (Photo and info: Simon Bajada via nationalgeographic.com)
(These charming pastries would be perfect with coffee or the Italian espresso. Note that Turin is also the hometown of the famous Italian coffee Lavazza, established by the Lavazza family in 1895 in Turin.)

Caffè Gelateria Pepino, founded in 1884, is also known for its gelato. It is located in Piazza Carignano, a beautiful baroque square of Turin (Photo: turismotorino.org). Pepino, which was an official supplier to the royal family, had invented the world’s first chocolate covered gelato on a stick. You can also have breakfast or dinner here. (historiccafesroute.com)

A beautiful glittering statue at ‘Caffè San Carlo’, Turin / Inside ‘Caffè Al Bicerin’, where the bicerin drink is invented.
(Photos: historiccafesroute.com / bicerin.it)

So, a glimpse of the glittering Baratti & Milano, appealing like a chocolate-box, in the chic book of Assouline enabled me to discover plenty of pleasant things: The chocolate city of Turin, its baroque charm, beautiful ‘piazza’s, historic cafes with interesting stories, and its chocolate specialities ranging from pastries, pralines and truffles to hot chocolate and gelato …

Charming gianduiotto chocolates by Baratti & Milano (Photo: barattiandmilano.com)

I think chocolate, a jolly invention of mankind, is a noble delicacy and a source of happiness. We recently watched the movie “Wonka” at the cinema with my daughter, which displays many sorts of jolly forms of chocolate. We couldn’t help drinking some hot chocolate after this sweet chocolate movie!

Timothée Chalamet and Hugh Grant in a scene in the movie “Wonka” (Photo: Warner Bros via abcnews.go.com)

In these first days of the year 2024, I wish you all, days and discoveries as tasty and pleasant as chocolate!