Gay-odin – from 1894

On the calendar sheet it read 1894, when the Swiss Isidoro Odin moved to Naples and began experimenting with various chocolate recipes. The experiments were successful and together with his wife, Onorina Gay, he soon systemized the production of handmade chocolate. In 1922, they opened the first Gay-odin chocolate shop in Naples and over the following decades another nine shops – eight in Naples and one in Rome – have been opened. Today Gay-odin is among Italy’s most famous chocolate producers and for more than one hundred years the company has been a major supplier of freshly prepared and tasty “calorie bombs” to a long series of Neapolitan cafes. In some of these cafes – in Via Toledo and Via Chiaia – cultural celebrities such as author Oscar Wilde, the poet Salvatore Di Giacomo and the well-known Neapolitan playwright Eduardo De Filippo fell in love with Gay-odin’s chocolates. Luckily, in the Gay-odin shops, you can still see a good deal of the original interior – including several Liberty items – which, spiritually speaking, will be able to take a visitor back to the beginning of the 20th century. Actually many of the company’s recipes – all secret, naturally – can be attributed to this period. Try the high-end products Foresta or Vesuvio, a true “chocolate explosion”, which of course is named after Naples’ famous volcano.

Via Vetriera, 12 - 80100 Napoli