It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Yes, we’ve all been waiting for the Modica Chocolate Festival, ChocoModica! From December 5 to 8, the capital of Sicilian chocolate, Modica, becomes the center of attention. I’ve talked about Modica chocolate before: it’s a special recipe that Sicilian chocolatiers created combining the rich cocoa brought to Sicily by the ruling Spanish from their explorations in Central and South America and sugar cultivated originally by Sicily’s Arab rulers from the 9th and 10th centuries. So, thanks to the Aztecs and the Arabs and some ingenuity of Modica’s chef’s, we have a unique dark chocolate that has been mixed (by mortar and pestle) with granulated sugar creating a piece of heaven on earth (pictured).

ChocoModica hosts a number of events including music about chocolate, history of chocolate making lectures, chocolate making demonstrations, games for children that have to do with chocolate, a chocolate garden, chocolate tastings, a chocolate marketplace, discussions of the benefits of chocolate, and even a Zumba Curves Flash Mob (because after eating all of that chocolate, you need a workout!).