On another sweltering day in Italy, the Taste of Umbria students got to spend their morning in the beautiful, air-conditioned chocolate school at Perugina, an Italian chocolate company located in Perugia that is famous for its “Baci” treats. To say this experience was memorable would be a massive understatement! Not only did students learn how chocolate is made from the very beginning of its process through the final result, but they were able to make chocolate truffles from scratch.

Perugina’s master chocolatier (who has worked for the company for over thirty years) led the students step-by-step through chopping dark chocolate, heating cream and melting the chocolate into a ganache, tempering melted chocolate—heating and cooling the chocolate to very precise temperatures in order to make it strong and shiny—and combing all these ingredients together into beautiful chocolate truffles. Each student left with 20 truffles of their own, a souvenir (chocolate-covered) apron, and lots of smiles.

Then it was off to Lake Trasimeno, the largest lake in Umbria, for lunch. Students sampled multiple appetizers and the torta al testo, a regional speciality sandwich (pictured below). Several plates of potato croquettes, caprese salad, arancini (fried rice balls), squid salad, and fried olives later, the students voted to split into two groups—one to return to Spoleto and enjoy a siesta, and another to journey to the hill town of Spello for a quick visit.

At dinner later in the day, they celebrated student Erika’s 17th birthday with tiramisu, pastries, and a singing of “Happy Birthday” in half Italian and half English.