Willy Wonka, Napoli Style

Today I went on a private tour of the Gay-Odin Chocolate Factory in downtown Naples.

This was the first thing I saw as I walked in the door... Easter plates and baskets! By the way, the most amazing smell of chocolate hits you the moment you enter :)
One of the Easter eggs up close: "Happy Easter"

More Easter eggs. (They make 20,000 eggs during the Easter holiday season!)

How big do you think this egg is??????

This big! This is real... edible... huge! "Happy Easter 2009"

Our first look once inside the factory. Decorating the eggs!

Eggs ready for gifts to be put in them. (People put Easter gifts inside the eggs. Anything from toys to engagement rings!)

The owner showing us the cocoa beans.

Roasting hazelnuts and walnuts. Then they sugar coat them. We got a taste-test :) Yum!

chocolate :)

This man is preparing chocolate covered doves. The doves are a sweet bread slathered in chocolate. I was so tempted to stick my mouth under the waterfall of chocolate... ;)

If you had his job, wouldn't you be tempted to lick your hands all day??

3-day-old chocolate makes this candy called "Moo". It is a carmely, fudgy, brownie-like chocolate that will eventually be covered with a dark chocolate shell. We taste-tested this too! :)

"Moo"

More decorating of the eggs.

This man was painting Mt. Vesuvius on a big egg.

These are peanut-shaped wafers with a light whippy chocolate filling. The lady puts the chocolate in each wafer by hand! These were yummy...taste-test!

Group shot with my friends. This was a little difficult because there were about 10 different cameras to look at! Oh, and notice that Keegan was not looking at the camera. No way that was going to happen with chocolate eggs to stare at! He loved this entire day!

Their delivery truck! How cute is that?? They have 10 stores in Naples, 1 store in Rome and 1 in Milan.

Flowers for sale on the street near the factory.

Proof for Josh that I did buy chocolates from Gay-Odin... just in case there are none left by the time he gets home. :) Hey, I can always get more, right?

Lots of "moo" in there!