Who would have thought that a chocolate praline born to avoid wasting pieces of hazelnut from other food productions would become a symbol of love, recognized the world over.
Yet it’s exactly what happened with the Bacio Perugina, invented in 1922 thanks to the creativity – and thrift spirit – of Luisa Spagnoli, the wife of Giovanni Buitoni, owners of the company called Perugina, founded in Perugia in 1907.
In order to use up all the leftover granella di nocciole, Mrs. Spagnoli came up with the idea of a new cioccolatino, which would have a rounded shape, an entire hazelnut in the center, covered by dark chocolate. The first name was, amusingly, cazzotto (punch). But, the story goes, when Mr. Buitoni saw his new cioccolatino displayed in the window of the first shop in Perugia that was going to sell it, he asked himself, “”Who would ask for a punch?” So he decided to change it into Bacio.
Bacio is not just a symbol of Italy – for Italy, it also represents a part of its industrial and social history. That’s the underlying concept for the “Baci Perugina. Un amore italiano” exhibition that opened yesterday at the Vittoriano Complex in Rome to celebrate an success story.
The exhibition is divided into three sections: the first is devoted to the history of the company (which is now a division of Nestlé), with unpublished photos and historical images, documents and artefacts. The second section tells the story of the Bacio from 1922 to the present through famous ads, posters, drawings, postcards, videos and illustrious testimonials, such as Totò, Vittorio Gassman, Alberto Sordi and Frank Sinatra. The third section of the exhibition is a glimpse into today’s Baci world: e-commerce, foreign sales, cards, as well as the factory of San Sisto in Perugia (which can be visited with guided tours by appointment), the adjacent historical museum and the School of Chocolate.
The exhibition is open until March 23.
Want to make your own Bacio? Try our recipe here.
