When you are a lover of chocolate and wine, it is easy for friends and family to bring you gifts when they return from their travels. Recently, a gift numerous chocolates hand-made in various small shoppes throughout Italy was presented as a gorging gift. It took months to masticate and melt away in the mouth, but the flavors were generally wonderful, from burnt to pure, with only a few leaving an unfortunate experience. (None had the non-chocolate taste of a Hershey's bar.)

Wine from around the world is easy to come by, but the pleasures of chocolate are more difficult to find because of the delicate nature of the product. Either is a wonderful gift, as they can both be savored and give a hint of an adventure in a far off land. It should not have been a surprise that a country known for great wine could produce so much fine chocolate.

In other words: Go to Italy!