Tartufo di Pizzo

The story told in Pizzo is that in 1952 a confectioner, short of moulds for a large order, shaped gelato by hand in a cloth instead, layering hazelnut and chocolate around a core of melted chocolate and dusting the result with cocoa. Whatever the exact origin, the tartufo is made this way still: shaped by hand rather than moulded, so no two are identical, and cut open at the table so the liquid centre runs out. It holds a protected geographical indication limited to Pizzo. The town's cafes around Piazza della Repubblica serve it, and it is eaten there rather than taken away.

What to look for

• The hand shaping - each one formed in a cloth rather than moulded.
• The molten centre - melted chocolate that runs when the ball is cut.
• The cocoa coating - a dusted outside giving the truffle appearance.
• The protected name - a designation limited to the town of Pizzo.

When to go

Year-round, though the town is busiest in summer evenings when the square fills. Cafes on the main piazza are the traditional place to eat it.

What to expect

Versions sold outside Pizzo are often industrially moulded and not the same. It is very rich and one is usually enough. The square is crowded on summer nights.

Nearby

Tropea lies south; Vibo Valentia is inland.