From 24 March until 2 April the city and province of Turin and the region of Piedmont are organising ChocolaTO a festival of chocolate. Turin has been a chocolate city for several centuries. The manufacture of drinking chocolate was first permitted in 1678 and more recently it has been famous for the production of chocolates such as Gianduiotti, smooth hazelnut milk chocolates, and Cuneesi large chocolates filled with rum flavoured cream.

There will be tastings, work shops, creations by master chocolatiers, and an exhibition of the production of chocolate from the cocoa bean to a block of chocolate. Children will be encouraged to make chocolate shapes and on Saturday 25 March there will be a Notte Calda in a fashionable area of the city the Quadrilatero Romano where restaurants and bars will put chocolate on the menu in a variety of ways. The Museo Accorsi in the Via Po 55 will have a special exhibition of porcelain, silver and copper items used for the making and serving of hot chocolate on 29 March and 1 April, and there will be a tram to take visitors around the areas of the city where chocolate products are made. Visitors to the city can buy a Chocopass from the Turin tourist information points, at the train station, airport and at Piazza Solferino. The passes are valid for 24 hours (10 tickets for 10) for 48 hours (15 tickets for 15) or for 5 days (23 tickets for 20). With the tickets the visitor can buy tastings of all the most delicious products from pralines to cremini, from chocolate cake to ice cream.

For information tel. 011535181 or see www.turismoturino.org