Antica Dolceria Bonajuto

Who they are

The Antica Dolceria Bonajuto is a chocolate maker and pastry shop in Modica that presents itself as Sicily's oldest chocolate factory still in operation. Its website dates the start of the family's chocolate production in the city to 1880 and speaks of six generations at the helm. The headquarters and offices are at Vicolo Franco Ruta, 1, in the centre of Modica.

What they do

Modica chocolate in bars, with its grainy texture, in the classic flavours of cinnamon, vanilla and citrus (orange, lemon, tangerine), and dark ones of 70, 80, 90 and 100% cocoa. They have a "bean to bar" line, made from the cocoa bean in their micro-workshop, the Fattojo, as well as chocolates, dry pastries, cakes and gift boxes. They sell in the Modica shop and online.

The visit to the Fattojo

The Fattojo is their "bean to bar" workshop. The visit lasts about 30 minutes: they tell the story of chocolate, the history of the house and the Mesoamerican origin of the way of working it, and it ends with a tasting. It is held in Italian or English; for other languages they accept you coming with an interpreter. There are visits from Monday to Sunday, except public holidays, with a maximum of 25 people, and children up to 5 do not pay. You book on their visits website, choosing the day on the calendar. Groups, schools, guides and agencies book by writing to [email protected].

The website does not publish the price of the visit outside the booking system or the exact address of the Fattojo: you will see it when you book.