Florence, not everyone knows, has a history linked to chocolate that deserves to be told: the bond between the city and chocolate has distant roots and begins with a Florentine explorer, Francesco Carletti, who after traveling the world and tasting the precious cocoa beans, returned home bringing with him this precious discovery. It was thanks to him that the Medici court came into contact with this exotic food and immediately appreciated its properties and unique flavor.
CioKoFlò the artisanal chocolate festival that will be held from 10 to 13 April 2025
And this ancient relationship is now strengthened with the first edition of CiokoFlò, the artisanal chocolate festival that will be held from 10 to 13 April 2025 in the ancient and evocative setting of Piazza Santa Croce.
For four days, the scent of chocolate will invade the historic center of the Tuscan capital, transforming the city into a delicious destination for enthusiasts, tourists and families, who will be able to taste, discover and buy one of the most loved products, declined in its infinite interpretations, from the great timeless classics to the most original and surprising variations, on a journey of sweetness within a historical and artistic context that is unique in the world.
Create giant chocolate constructions that will pay homage to the city and chocolate
CiokoFlò will offer not only a large exhibition and commercial area, where the Italian master chocolatiers will present their creations and where you can meet the best manufacturing companies in the sector, but also a calendar of concomitant activities designed to fully involve tourists and visitors, for an experience as enveloping and immersive as possible in the evocative world of artisanal chocolate making. In fact, there will be prepared themed artistic installations, educational workshops and experiential activities to accompany and entertain the most varied and demanding audiences, making the festival a unique experience.
To celebrate the event and the main product, there will be maxi-chocolate constructions created by master chocolatiers, who will pay homage to the city and chocolate, and which will remain on display until the end of the exhibition as true works of art.
The adventurous story of Francesco Carletti, from Mexico to China
Francesco Carletti had left with his father Antonio, a merchant, for the Cape Verde Islands to buy African slaves to resell in the West Indies. From there they went to Panama, Mexico, Colombia, Peru and back to Mexico. From Acapulco they sailed to the Philippines and reached the island of Luzon where they stayed for a year. Then they moved on to Japan and China, where Antonio died in 1598. Left alone, Francesco continued on to India and reached Goa, the seat of the Portuguese viceroy, where he remained for almost two years. Homesick and now rich, he loaded all his merchandise onto a Portuguese ship to set sail for Italy. On the island of Saint Helena, the Portuguese ship on which he was traveling was attacked by Dutch pirates. Despite his attempts to recover the goods, Carletti returned to Florence without the riches he had accumulated. However, he managed to save a few cocoa berries that he brought to Medici Florence. In his writings Carletti, speaking of the use of Cocoa in the West Indies, writes: "Cocoa is a famous fruit and of vital importance for that Kingdom, so much so that it is said that more than five hundred thousand scudi are consumed each year. This fruit also serves as money to spend, to buy things of common use at the market. For the coin of a giulio they give seventy or eighty, depending on the harvest. But its main consumption is in a certain drink that the Indians call "Cioccolatte". This drink is made by mixing the Cocoa fruits, which are as big as acorns, with hot water and sugar.
First the fruits must be dried very well and roasted over the fire, then broken up on stones (as painters do when they grind colors) by rubbing the pestle, also made of stone, along the flat and smooth stone. In this way a paste is formed which, broken up in water, serves as a drink, and is commonly drunk by all the natives of the country and by the Spaniards and all the inhabitants of the other nations who come here. Once they have become accustomed to it, everyone becomes so addicted to it that with difficulty they can give up drinking it every morning, or the next day at dinner, when it is hot, especially when sailing”.
