Valentine’s Day Gift Guide 2024: The Best Italian Chocolates

24.01.2024 - 17:53 / forbes.com

Whether it’s a modest box of conversation hearts or a flamboyant heart-shaped box of chocolates, a whopping 92% of Americans plan to say “I Love You” with a gift of sweets on Valentine’s Day, according to the National Confectioners Association.

Italian chocolates are a perennial favorite—to give or receive—because they are typically produced with high-quality ingredients and crafted with “Made in Italy” style. As a result, Italy ranks among the top four chocolate-producing countries in the world.

Below are some delectable Italian chocolates, perfect gifts to express love, affection, or appreciation on Valentine’s Day. All are available online, either directly from chocolatiers in Italy or sourced by gourmet food importers.

Venchi chocolates are made in the Piedmont region, the leading producer of confectionary in Italy. The company prides itself on sourcing the best possible cocoa, and all of the recipes rely on 100% natural, gluten- free ingredients made without palm oil.

The Venchi 2024 Valentine’s Day collection is inspired by giving loved ones “a moment filled with chocolate-flavored allegria (joy and happiness). It features elegant, romantic boxes in shades of pink and red.

The Venchi Valentine’s Day Gift Box is filled with milk and dark Bacciodidama pralines and Cannolo chocolates. Priced at $27.

The captivating Venchi Cremino & Bacciodidama Valentine mini-book is filled with a mix of mouth-watering milk and dark Bacciodidama and Gold Caramel Cremino Chocolates. Priced at $25.

The Venchi Large Heart-Shaped Tin covered with a bouquet of with pink and red hearts is filled with assorted milk dark foil wrapped chocolate hearts. Priced at $30.

With origins in Alba (Piedmont), the Ferrero Group has more than 35 brands sold in more than 170 countries. The company’s signature chocolates, Ferrero Rocher, were invented by Michele Ferrero.

The ball-shaped delicacies are made with whole hazelnuts dipped in velvety chocolate, encased in a thin wafer shell with hazelnut chocolate, and then coated with milk chocolate and hazelnut pieces. Each one is wrapped in elegant gold foil.

The 48-piece Ferrero Rocher Premium Collection includes an assortment of Raffaello, Rocher and Rondnoir chocolates (with hazelnut milk chocolate, dark chocolate and coconut). Priced at $26.38.

The 100-year-old recipe for the iconic Baci Perugina Kiss is deliciously simple: fine cocoa and finely chopped hazelnuts blended into a soft gianduia center, topped with a whole hazelnut, and covered with dark chocolate.

Each candy is wrapped in silver and blue foil with a romantic message imprinted inside. The creation was sparked by the love affair between the company’s founders, Luisa Spagnoli and Giovanni Buitoni, who passed secret notes to