Interlude - More Chocolate Challenges

Did you notice the wooden huts in that town center photo? There was a collection of booths in the center of the ovals that appeared to be being set up for something (the piazza is normally empty), but we couldn’t quite figure out what.  MIL, who hadn’t gone on to the Duomo scouted around and came to report that they were preparing for a Chocolate Festival that was going to run all weekend.






Perhaps the Principal would be saved from additional abuse?  ACK!  It doesn't begin until after we need to leave. Looking around there was a large cluster of children in one particular booth opposite the center area. 

AH!  There is a gentleman doing a presentation on chocolate with a real cocoa pod (BOY those things are large), a table full of the beans, and then actual chocolate.  MMMMM!  This could make up for missing the Perugina factory … it’s FREE! 

The children all finish listening to the gentleman, he finishes swooping off the extra chocolate from his molds, tells the kids that he’s putting those in the fridge, and other samples will be given out.  Italian children cheering for chocolate sounds just like American children cheering for chocolate.  Excitement builds… until it deflates.  No free chocolate for the Magic Homeschool Bus.  Only the Italian 4^th graders there for the presentation.  What a bummer.  I think my knee has started hurting again.  Probably not, but sympathy pain feels real, right?

Editor's Note - This was getting serious, but Sweetie came through. When we arrived in Rome, one of my first stops was to the local market. While I was picking from seemingly 1,000 types of salami, Sweetie was using her own cash to buy a small package of Perugina Baci for the Staff. They were much appreciated.