How anyone gets around Venice without google maps is beyond me, although for years we all did. Were we just better with directions then? Have we forgotten because we don’t need to try anymore? Without google maps, we would have had no chance of stumbling upon this Venetian chocolate shop. It was founded in 2005 by Mariangela who it seemed left the fashion industry to become a chocolatier. I don’t know how good she was in fashion, but she is a fantastic chocolatier and makes stunning creations worth a detour for.
While sitting inside her beautiful but very empty shop we watched as literally hundreds of tourists walked by the front door, too preoccupied looking down at the maps on their phones to look up to see that they were walking by a chocolate paradise. Not so luck for Mariangela, but lucky for us I guess as we had the whole place to ourselves. The store offers everything chocolate related you might be looking for, from bars and bonbons, to baked goods. They even offer a range of Italian and English chocolate workshops every week so be sure to check these out if you are planning a visit.
They have several hot chocolates on offer but we chose the Goldoni hot chocolate. It is a typical, thick pudding like Italian hot chocolate made with pure Criollo cocoa from Venezuela and the Dominican Republic (apparently, although I won’t get into here the fact that there is very little “pure” criollo cacao in the world so this is unlikely, especially in the case of the Dominican Republic, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t beautiful chocolate!) with a secret mix of herbs and spices based on a Venetian recipe from 1750 and prepared with hot water. I think we visited on a bad day because it tasted strangely burnt so we weren’t able to finish it, but those secret spices shine through and are a warming addition (and the chocolate covered candied orange peel l it came with was divine). A true chocolate paradise.
VizioVirtu Cioccolateria, Calle del Forner, 5988, Venice, Italy. Hours: 10:00-19:00. www.viziovirtu.com @viziovirtu
