This chocolate shop is beyond fabulous. The chocolate makers are true artists. You will find all…read morethings chocolate here and all beautifully created. Everything we tried was so beautiful to behold you almost didn't want to eat it. But once you bite into anything here, you swoon. There is candy, pastries, cake, cookies all made with exquisite care and the best ingredients. This is a wonderful place to pick up a few gifts to bring back home. I don't know too many people who wouldn't feel like they've died and gone to heaven after sampling some of the chocolates made here. I was so taken with the chocolate in the shape of attrezzi (tools) and nuts and bolts....so cool! Even the coloration of the chocolate was made on some pieces, to suggest a hint of rust. The owners of the shop are helpful and kind. This is a beautiful, old-world chocolate shop with delicious and gorgeous products. The shop itself is in an ancient building within the walled city of Lucca. Everything about it, like all of the walled city of Lucca is just dreamy. Go!

Some very good chocolate. There were these circle chocolate topped with nuts that I saw the…read moreprevious customers bought, so I decided to give them a try as well. They were quite good. Might have been peanuts...not sure. Chocolate with raisins were well balanced. Would definitely stop by again when we're in town!

This place sure is dangerous! All the chocolate you can imagine and you can purchase as many as you…read morewant since it's all based on weight. They offer a huge selection of Perugina, my favorite is baci of course. Come here but be cautious ;)

What an absolute treat! From cookies to gelato, and featuring a variety of coffee options,…read morePasticceria Giovannini is worth the stop. The cookies are all crumble in your mouth fresh, with an attention to quality that is immediately apparent. Each offering has a unique style and flavor, and everything is very reasonably priced. The staff is super friendly, especially if you're making an effort to communicate in Italian. And as you'd expect, this cafe has a neighborhood, local feel. It's stylish and lively, but not overwhelming. One of our favorite spots in Montecatini.

Words don't do this place justice! Amazing pasticceria!!! Friendly staff, super affordable, amazing…read moreespresso and the desserts are out of this world. My mother and I were on vacation in Montecatini at a hotel that was a 1 minute walk away (dangerous). Our morning routine was to get a cappuccino and un caffe. The espresso was strong and full of flavor. Most days we came back later in the day and tried other varieties - all great. Now about the desserts....nothing like I've ever tasted in America! Everything was so clean, had unique tastes with a perfect amount of sweetness - just mouthwatering. The prices were super low too. One visit we got 5 pastries for 8 euros. Giovannini makes me want to vacation there again ASAP!!

Nino and friends is my happy place. I purposely came back to Florence only to purchase candy and…read morecellos from the store. It is such a joy to shop there. The store had wall to wall goodies. Goodies that you get to taste. As soon as you enter there are staff members offering all kinds delicious treats filled with tasty goodness. They have coconut balls with lemon cream inside, green covered chocolates with limoncello inside, they have salted caramel with chocolate, Cappuccino cookies with coffee flavor cream inside, they have limoncello, melon cello, and my favorite peach cello to drink. I bought a lot to take back home, but also I just enjoyed the samples they kept offering me...MY HAPPY PLACE, especially after many Dixie cups of cello sampling. They are still trying to get there online ordering up and working. I tried for the past year to order on line. One great service they offer is mailing your purchase back to your home. The cost is really reasonable too. I mailed a large order back home for 55 Euros. I have mailed a box from California to Boston and it costed me more.

I am having to look back online to remind myself of which Italian place we ate at for which day /…read moremeal. I see that this Florentine place is actually part of a small chain in the area. We found it when looking for a lunch spot near the Duomo. It was well regarded online. This establishment is an amalgam of businesses - a coffee shop, a small bakery / pizzeria, a mini grocery and wine shop, and a sit down restaurant (that was in the back or upstairs, and which opened at some point after we'd arrived and eaten). We ate from the bakery / pizzeria place. A bit of background - this was about a week into our trip. At this point (traveling for 7 days), my reserve of goodwill is usually running low. I just wanted a decent, relatively quick meal. I initially thought about rating this a '3' due to my own frustration, but in retrospect I'll assume that it was more on me than them. I was still looking over options when my wife made her choices and proceeded to pay. All I saw was that she got some sort of paper card from the pizza area and went back up towards the coffee shop to pay. I wasn't sure the paper was even involved. I went up to the same cashier and requested to pay for a slice of pizza. She motioned me back to the bakery. I went back, but the baker lady motioned me back up to the cashier... I picked up one of the pieces of paper and presented it (not understanding why). I was then directed back to the bakery. I ran out of patience and just gave up. I had decided to skip lunch entirely, out of pure spite. I was challenged on this point and convinced it would be easier to eat than argue. So, I went back to the bakery. The baker lady then got involved and actually scribbled something on the paper, which I then took to the cashier. I was thus able to pay for the slice of pizza, which I then obtained from the baker lady (after she heated it). This isn't the most efficient process, but it is at least understandable in retrospect. The pizza itself is a thick, bready yet airy crust topped by tomato sauce and whatever ingredients you chose. It was pretty tasty, actually. I wasn't in the best mood to appreciate dining at that point. I think I'd have enjoyed this much more if I'd understood how ordering worked from the outset. And again, I think part of my exasperation was just being confused by this scenario after seven days of travel. It might have been easier to take on day 1 or 2. If you are hungry and want a light but tasty meal near the Duomo, this isn't a bad choice.

Recently visited Lucca. Lovely store with fabulous treats. The Italian cookies are so good. Highly…read morerecommend.

Very thankful we stopped in Bologna's famous Majani Cioccolato! The woman helping us was very kind…read moreand patient explaining each of the famous chocolates. We got our gifts for those back home here and I can't wait to share them!

Cute little store for a chocolatier that was founded in Bologna. I was visiting Bologna for the…read morefirst time and wanted to bring home some chocolate. This store only has their brand, but they have a very large selection!! They have a great variety of chocolates (dark, milk, white, with nuts, etc) in different packaging (chocolate bars, gift sets, etc). I chatted a bit with the cashier, and she was so sweet and kind. She shared some of their history and provided recommendations. I bought a couple chocolate bars (milk chocolate with pistachios and dark chocolate with hazelnuts) and a gift set that has some of their signature pieces. Everything was delicious! But definitely pricier than I am used to. Especially compared to the very little bit that comes in the box.

Desserts were good but nothing memorable. Cappuccinos were good too! We had something they called…read morean apple pie that my husband loved but I didn't care for so I guess it depends on the person

Before leaving this lovely old town we headed into this busy place to stock up on some sweets and…read morecookies. We've been spoiled by many good pasticcerias last summer when we travelled through Italy. Compared to them this place does holp up quite well. The pastries weren't that great I have to say. But the cookies (Amaretti, with pine nuts, almond etc.) were really quite good and worth a buy. Surely we couldn't buy or try them all and some items might be a bit of a hit'n'miss. But some of the were really good, so you really should give it a try.

Incredibly rich cioccolata calda (hot chocolate). Charming store with huge selection of…read morechocolate/dessert items that appear to be made in-house. Mmmmm.

Got 4 fabulous cream puffs and a delicious cup of real hot chocolate -- what a lovely treat on a…read morerainy day! It was hard to choose among all the delicious looking treats (the pastries all appear to be made on site) and the staff and the other customers were really welcoming. My favorite memory of Orvietto (except for the Duomo :)