Chocolates or a romantic trip to Venice?

Combine the two this year. Venice in chocolate can be found in the quaint little town of Estepa in Seville province

A. M. SAANDERS

Monday, 14 February 2022, 18:25 | Updated 19:09h.

Apart from flowers, chocolate is the most common Valentine's Day gift. Others, with a bit more to spend, might even consider a romantic break to Venice. They both have their disadvantages: the pandemic might still be an obstacle for foreign travel, and chocolate is not exactly the healthiest choice. However, there is another, and perhaps a better option, combining the two - Venice in 100 per cent pure chocolate, and all in the south of Spain.

Venice in chocolate can be found in the quaint little town of Estepa in Seville province. It is famous for its cakes known as polvorones and mantecados that bakers traditionally make for Christmas. However, twelve years ago a new concept was born. The La Estepeña factory (in Calle Almendra) began creating Chocolate Cities (Ciudades de Chocolate) - scale models of a well-known cities in chocolate.

"Every year, our confectioners create a real chocolate masterpiece. The 60-square-metre space in our museum is devoted to a city of chocolate. We choose the most famous ones with symbolic landmarks. Besides Madrid and Seville we have already also 'hosted' foreign cities such as Rome, Paris, New York, 'constructed' from more than 2,000kg of pure chocolate as well as syrup, marzipan, hazelnuts and walnuts. In 2014, our chocolate London was especially appreciated by our visitors," La Estepeña director, Marcos Galván, told SUR in English. In 2020 this sweet tradition was interrupted, but last autumn it came back in style - with Venice.

Nicolás Fernández and Asuncion Barrena spent approximately 2,000 hours over a six-month period to build the city. The work was designed and supervised by Pepe Galván, the third generation of the Galván Fernández family who established the chocolate factory in Estepa in 1858.

Last October the mayor of Estepa personally cut the ribbon to open the chocolate Venice with its iconic Basilica, crowded St Mark's Square, and its numerous bridges over canals, with water simulated by syrup.

Chocolate Venice is open at La Estepeña Monday to Friday from 10am to 1pm and 4pm to 7pm until 1 March.

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