Story of a Kiss… “Baci” Perugina

One of the most popular chocolates for Saint Valentine’s Day are the “Baci” - “kisses” in Italian - Perugina. These small chocolates filled with gianduia cream and decorated with an entire hazelnut are both delicious and romantic as each of them contains a small note with a different quote or aphorism about love.

Baci’s story is quite adventurous: they were invented by Luisa Spagnoli who named them “Cazzotti” - punches in Italian - for their peculiar shape. Giovanni Buitoni, who was in love with Luisa, immediately suggested changing the name to Baci, imagining that young men would prefer to go to the patisserie and ask “Mi dai un Bacio?” - “Will you give me a kiss?” - instead of “Will you give me a punch?”.

The tradition of including love notes in the envelope is believed to come from the secret love messages that Luisa and Giovanni used to exchange hidden in chocolate boxes.

We will probably never know how much of these stories is true, but we will never complain at a chance to be romantic and enjoy some delicious chocolate!

On Bella Italia you can shop for your heart-shaped box of Baci Perugina or find an exclusive selection of fine Italian chocolate perfect to say “I love you” all year round!