Before I came to Italy, I had not tried Italian style hot chocolate. Now though, I have and have tried thick Italian hot chocolate often topped with ‘panna montata’ whipped cream more than a few times.
Hot chocolate Italian style is not the watery though pleasant drink I was used to in the United Kingdom. Instead, it’s very thick, creamy and delicious. Well, I think so.
Having a hot chocolate, which I did today along with my Italian other half and our son, is a sign that winter has arrived.
Most of Italy’s coffee bars offer hot chocolate and trying one is a must if you are up in Italy’s mountains in the winter months on a ski trip maybe.
Where can you find the best hot chocolate in Italy? I have no idea but going on a hot chocolate crawl would be a fun, if fattening, thing to do. Still, you only live once and the occasional hot chocolate binge won’t do you any harm. Doctors may disagree but, hey, a little bit of what you feel like always does you good!
Here are a couple of where to find good Italian hot chocolate in Italy tips for you:
Hot Chocolate in Rome
Since I wrote this, Michael Woodward told me about somewhere in Rome which he thinks does a very good hot chocolate:
@newsfromitaly #HotChocolate : Bar Jonathan in front of the Lateran Basilica has best I’ve found in Rome.
— Michael Woodward (@shotwithspirit) January 7, 2015
If you find yourself in Rome during the winter months, why not pop into Bar Jonathan to try the hot chocolate and see if it’s worthy of Michael’s acclaim.
Hot Choc in Milan
Stop reading, start speaking
Stop translating in your head and start speaking Italian for real with the only audio course that prompt you to speak.
If you find yourself in Milan during the cold season, then Sandy Colaizzi certainly enjoyed the hot chocolate she tried:
@newsfromitaly had hot chocolate in Milano at http://www.cioccolatitaliani.it today. The best ever!! #CIOCCOLATO #milano
— Sandy Colaizzi (@sandyapplevac) January 7, 2015
I’ve seen the Cioccolatitaliani places in Milan and had been wondering whether they were worth trying. Seems they are, fellow hot choc fans. I’d welcome more opinions, though.
Make Italian Style Thick and Creamy Hot Chocolate at Home
Don’t worry if you can’t make it to Rome, Milan or elsewhere in Italy; read on to find out what you can use to make yourself tasty Italian style hot chocolate at home.
If you haven’t tried hot chocolate in Italy, try it.
If you have, where was it that you had the most memorable hot choc? Let us all know so we can head to wherever it was and try it for ourselves.
Hot Chocolate Mixes
As promised, here are some mixes you can use to make a great cup of warming thick Italian style hot chocolate at home. If you can find them, Caffarel and Babbi both make good hot chocolate beverage mixes. A very common brand here in Italy is Cameo Ciobar Classic – which can be found on Amazon.com – and it’s a regular occupant of our kitchen cupboard here in Milan, Italy ;)
If you cannot find the hot chocolate mixes, it’s not too difficult to make thick hot chocolate from scratch. Here’s a recipe: DIY Italian Style Hot Chocolate
Italy’s hot chocolate beverages are definitely something to look forward to when the weather goes cold. Slurp!
