Città del Cioccolato (City of Chocolate) is Italy’s largest experiential museum dedicated to cacao and chocolate, housed in the restored Ex Mercato Coperto (Covered Market, 1932) at Via della Rupe, Perugia. It opened on 30 October 2025 — a venue so new that most guides either don’t list it, or send visitors to the wrong place. The Casa del Cioccolato Perugina at the Nestlé factory in San Sisto is a completely different attraction, 4 km from the city centre.
This guide was updated in June 2026. Standard admission at Città del Cioccolato is €14 on weekdays and €16 on weekends and public holidays. You can book through GetYourGuide in advance.
Quick facts
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Address | Via della Rupe, 06121 Perugia (Ex Mercato Coperto) |
| Hours (Monday–Friday) | 10:00–19:00 |
| Hours (Saturday, Sunday, public holidays) | 09:00–19:00 |
| Individual ticket (weekdays) | €14 |
| Individual ticket (weekends/public holidays) | €16 |
| Group ticket (adult, 25+ people, weekdays) | €12 |
| Group ticket (adult, 25+ people, weekends) | €15 |
| Child ticket (group rates, weekdays) | €8 |
| Child ticket (group rates, weekends) | €10 |
| Under 6 | Free |
| Students | From €12 (with valid ID) |
| Nearest car park | Piazza Partigiani (funicular to centre) |
| Nearest bus | Piazza Italia (MiniMetro or local buses) |
| Typical visit | 1–1.5 hours |
Città del Cioccolato opening hours
The museum opens every day. From Monday to Friday: 10:00 to 19:00. On Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays: 09:00 to 19:00 — one hour earlier. During major chocolate events such as Eurochocolate (held annually in November), the museum extends its hours and adjusts admission to a special rate of €18. Always check the official site before visiting during the annual Eurochocolate festival.
Città del Cioccolato admission prices
Admission pricing is tiered by day type. The individual weekday ticket is €14; the weekend and public holiday ticket is €16; and during special events (Eurochocolate and equivalent occasions) the rate is €18.
| Category | Weekdays | Weekends/holidays |
|---|---|---|
| Individual adult | €14 | €16 |
| Group adult (25+ people) | €12 | €15 |
| Child (group rate) | €8 | €10 |
| Under 6 | Free | Free |
| Students (valid ID) | From €12 | — |
Note: the Casa del Cioccolato Perugina at the Nestlé factory in San Sisto (Via San Sisto) is a separate, unrelated attraction requiring advance reservation and a different ticket. Città del Cioccolato is in the historic centre. Book through GetYourGuide to confirm your visit date.
Why visit Città del Cioccolato?
- 🍫 Italy’s largest chocolate museum — opened November 2025: 2,800 m² across multiple levels in a 1932 covered market building, restored over three years at a cost of approximately €6 million.
- 🎟️ Make your own chocolate bar: One of the most popular experiences in the museum is following the full production process and making your own bar — a genuinely hands-on activity rather than a passive display.
- 🌿 The Cacao of Excellence laboratory: The Alliance of Bioversity International has relocated its Cacao of Excellence programme — which selects the world’s top 50 cacao samples every two years — to the museum, making this a live research site as well as a visitor attraction.
- 📜 The Roberto Caraceni collection: One of Italy’s foremost chocolate historians has assembled wrappers, tins, dispensers, and objects over 40 years — displayed alongside an infrared sensor-reactive digital installation by artist Manuel Gardina.
- 💰 Only 5 minutes’ walk from Piazza IV Novembre: Unlike the Casa del Cioccolato Perugina (at the Nestlé factory, 25 minutes by bus), this museum is in the historic centre — easily combinable with Perugia’s main sights.
How to get to Città del Cioccolato
On foot from Piazza IV Novembre (the main square), the museum is approximately a 5-minute walk. Head south along Corso Vannucci, past Piazza Italia, then descend Via della Rupe to the Ex Mercato Coperto building. Follow signs for the museum.
By MiniMetro, take the MiniMetro from Pian di Massiano (the out-of-town car park) to the Pincetto or Cupa stops, from which Piazza Italia is a short walk. The MiniMetro runs every 2 minutes and takes around 4 minutes from the lowest station.
By car, Perugia’s historic centre is a ZTL. Park at Piazza Partigiani (the main city car park) and take the escalators or funicular to Piazza Italia, then walk south to Via della Rupe. Journey time from the car park to the museum: approximately 10 minutes.
Parking at Città del Cioccolato
There is no parking adjacent to the museum — Via della Rupe is in the ZTL. Piazza Partigiani (large multi-storey car park) is the principal option, with escalators and a funicular rising to the historic centre. Daily parking rates apply. The car park is signposted from all main approaches to Perugia. In-city residents can use resident bays; visitors must use the peripheral car parks and escalator systems.
How long to spend at Città del Cioccolato
Allow 1 to 1.5 hours for a self-guided visit through the main exhibition route. The immersive sections — Mesoamerican origins, the arrival of cacao in Europe, the Italian chocolate districts, the Luisa Spagnoli narrative, and the Cacao of Excellence laboratory — are clearly sequenced across multiple levels. Visitors who participate in hands-on activities such as the chocolate bar production experience or book a LAB session at the companion site on via Alessi should allow 2–3 hours in total.
Accessibility at Città del Cioccolato
The museum occupies a restored 20th-century market building designed with multi-level access. The official site does not publish a detailed accessibility statement; contact the museum directly via WhatsApp (+39 378 309 3537) in advance for specific mobility requirements. The building’s ground floor is at street level. The Perugia historic centre in general involves significant gradients — the escalator and funicular system from Piazza Partigiani provides a step-free approach for most of the route.
What to see at Città del Cioccolato
The Mesoamerican Origins section opens the exhibition with the story of cacao from the Olmec, Maya, and Aztec civilisations to the moment it reached Europe. Artefacts, digital reconstructions, and immersive installations cover both the agricultural and ritual dimensions of cacao before European contact.
The European Journey traces the transformation of the bitter cacao drink — arriving in Spain in 1528 after Hernán Cortés’s expeditions — into the sweetened confection that spread through European courts. Key dates and characters are covered: the 1847 English invention of the solid chocolate bar; the role of the Swiss, Belgian, and Italian industries in developing modern chocolate. Italy’s receipt of cacao in 1559 (via the Savoy-Spanish diplomatic connection) is given special attention.
The Italian Chocolate Districts section covers Turin’s gianduiotti, Perugia’s Perugina and Baci, and other regional specialisms. The Roberto Caraceni collection — wrappers, tins, and advertising objects spanning 40 years — sits alongside a Manuel Gardina digital installation that responds to visitors’ movements through infrared sensors.
The Luisa Spagnoli Room is the emotional centre of the Perugia narrative. Spagnoli co-founded the Perugina factory in 1907, invented the Bacio Perugina, introduced the first factory canteen and workers’ nursery, and simultaneously founded the Luisa Spagnoli fashion company. Archival materials, reconstructed workspaces, and personal objects tell her story.
The Cacao of Excellence laboratory is a working research space relocated from Rome, run with the Alliance of Bioversity International and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It selects the world’s best 50 cacao samples every two years — visitors can observe the laboratory and engage with its educational displays.
Practical tips for visiting Città del Cioccolato
| Tip | Detail |
|---|---|
| This is not the Nestlé factory tour | The Casa del Cioccolato Perugina at Via San Sisto (Nestlé factory, 4 km away) is a separate, unrelated attraction requiring advance reservation. Città del Cioccolato is in the historic centre. |
| Weekend prices are €2 more | Weekday individual tickets are €14; weekends and public holidays are €16. If your schedule is flexible, visit mid-week. |
| Eurochocolate raises prices to €18 | The annual Eurochocolate festival (typically held in November for 9–10 days) brings the highest admission rate and the largest crowds. Check dates for 2026 before booking. |
| Combine with LAB on via Alessi | The companion LAB – Luisa Annibale Base on Via Alessi (the original 1907 Perugina workshop) offers guided tastings, cooking shows, and the Cacao Ceremony — separate to the museum admission. |
| Book in advance | As a brand-new attraction with growing demand (300,000 visits annually projected), booking ahead is strongly recommended at weekends and during Italian school holidays. |
Città del Cioccolato FAQ
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Is this the same as the Perugina chocolate factory? | No. The Casa del Cioccolato Perugina is at Nestlé’s San Sisto factory, 4 km from the centre. Città del Cioccolato is in the historic centre at Via della Rupe, in the former Ex Mercato Coperto. |
| What is the adult ticket price? | €14 on weekdays, €16 on weekends and public holidays. During events like Eurochocolate, the rate rises to €18. |
| When does it open at weekends? | 09:00 on Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays — one hour earlier than the weekday 10:00 opening. |
| Is the LAB included in the ticket? | No. LAB – Luisa Annibale Base at Via Alessi (first Perugina laboratory, 1907) is a separate paid experience. Activities include guided tastings, cooking shows, and the Cacao Ceremony. |
| When did it open? | 30 October 2025 (Open Day for Perugia residents), with regular public access from 1 November 2025. Most guides have not yet updated to include it. |
Things to do near Città del Cioccolato
Piazza IV Novembre is Perugia’s main square and one of the most beautiful medieval piazzas in Italy — the Gothic Palazzo dei Priori, the Gothic Fontana Maggiore (1278), and the Cathedral of San Lorenzo all face onto it. 5 minutes’ walk north of the museum.
The Galleria Nazionale dell’Umbria is inside the Palazzo dei Priori and holds the most comprehensive collection of Umbrian painting from the 13th to 19th centuries, including major works by Perugino and Pinturicchio. Admission separate.
The Perugia Underground (Rocca Paolina) is directly below Piazza Italia. The 16th-century fortified district built by Pope Paul III over a medieval neighbourhood is preserved underground, with streets, houses, and towers intact below the modern city. Part is free to access via the escalators from Piazza Partigiani.
The Arco Etrusco (Etruscan Arch) is 5 minutes’ walk north-east of the main square and is one of the best-preserved examples of Etruscan city gate architecture in Italy, dating to the 3rd century BC.
The Collegio del Cambio is on Corso Vannucci, 2 minutes’ walk from the main square. Its main hall is frescoed by Pietro Perugino (c.1498–1500) in what are considered the master’s finest surviving works. Admission charged.
Similar food and cultural museums to visit near Perugia
The Casa del Cioccolato Perugina, San Sisto (Perugia) is the Nestlé factory visitor experience, 4 km from the centre. It covers the Perugina and Baci history in the original factory setting and requires advance reservation. A fundamentally different experience from Città del Cioccolato.
The Museo del Vino, Torgiano is around 15 km south of Perugia near Torgiano, managed by the Lungarotti Foundation. It holds the most important wine museum in Umbria across 20 rooms in a 17th-century palazzo. Admission charged.
The Museo dell’Olivo e dell’Olio, Trevi is around 40 km south-east of Perugia and covers Umbria’s olive oil heritage in a medieval palace. Umbria produces some of Italy’s finest extra-virgin olive oil and the museum provides significant agricultural context.
The Museo del Tartufo, Norcia is around 100 km east of Perugia and covers the black truffle — Norcia’s defining product — with regional food heritage collections. Norcia is also famous for its cured meats (norcineria).
More Italy travel
Other Italy travel guides on Planet Whitley include:
- Top tips for visiting Orvieto Cathedral in Umbria.
- Go underground at Pozzo della Cava in Orvieto.
- Florence attraction guides: Basilica of Santa Maria Novella, Palazzo Vecchio, Bargello Museum, Medici Chapels, Museo de Medici, Uffizi Gallery, Galleria dell’Accademia, Museo Galileo, Florence Synagogue and Museum, Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens.
- Plan your visit to the Rocca dei Papi in Montefiascone, Lazio.
- What you need to know before visiting Viterbo Cathedral in Lazio.
