Baci Perugina

 

 

Please join me in giving a warm welcome to Elena. She is one of the moderators on the GIFansItaly twitter site and has graciously offered to provide Argyle Empire with a series of posts about the Italian foods and recipes mentioned in the Gabriel Series.

If you'd like to further immerse yourself in all things Italian and Gabriel, be sure and follow @GIFansItaly.

Enjoy!

~ Jenn

* * * * * *

“A surprise?”

“Yes.” He smiled and waited.

She wrinkled her nose. “Will you tell me what the surprise is?”

“If I tell you, it won’t be a surprise.”

She rolled her eyes, and he laughed at her.

“Baci,” he said.

Julia paused. Kisses?

Gabriel saw her reaction and realized the double entendre had not been understood. He pulled something from one of the grocery bags and placed it in the centre of his right palm, holding it out to her as one might hold out an apple to tempt a horse.’

-Gabriel’s Inferno, Chapter 17


**Drools** Who wouldn’t want to receive a Bacio Perugina from our Professor? I sure would. ;)

Since our dear Gabriel and his Julianne seem to enjoy Baci Perugina, I thought to share some curiosities related to these beloved Italian sweet treats.

Baci Perugina were made for the first time in 1922 by the firm Perugina, which is set in Perugia, a city near Assisi. Maybe Gabriel and Julia will decide to visit it in #Gabriel3 ??

Here in Italy we often give and receive Baci Perugina on Valentine’s Day. It has now become the typical sweet treat that lovers exchange on this day.

Inside each Bacio Perugina we can find a love note with a famous love poem or love quote. Yes, sometimes you just want to keep eating Baci Perugina in order to see which love note you’ll find next ;) I wonder which ones Julia found? ( although, knowing Gabriel, he probably enclosed his own love notes to her in each Bacio ;) )

 

The first Bacio Perugina love notes were invented in the 30s by Federico Seneca, who was the artistic director of the firm. But where did he find this inspiration? Well, they say he took his cue from the love notes that were exchanged between Luisa Spagnoli, the wife of one of the founders of the Perugina firm, and Giovanni Buitoni, the son of one of the founders. It seems they used to wrap sweets in small pieces of paper, which contained a love note, in order to declare their love to each other without being caught…Clever, huh? ;)

The typical box of The Baci Perugina shows two lovers embracing and kissing, sometimes under the stars.

Not everyone knows, though, that this image was inspired by the painting “The Kiss” by Francesco Hayez.

Beautiful painting, isn’t it? And had you noticed the similarities between the lovers in the painting and the ones of the Baci Perugina box? If not, now you know ;)


‘There were pastries and fruit, toast and Nutella, boiled eggs and cheese, and several Baci Perugina Gabriel had bribed a hotel employee to run out and purchase along with the extravagant bouquet of irises from the Giardino dell’Iris.

Julia unwrapped one of the Baci and ate it, eyes closed with pure pleasure. ‘You ordered a feast.’

-Gabriel’s Rapture, Chapter 1


Let’s all have some Baci Perugina now, while dreaming of The Professor 

Baci “Kisses” to all 

Elena