Gay odin naples italy
Gay-Odin: artisan chocolate in Italy
Gay Odin: Naples has its own chocolate factory
It all began in the late nineteenth century… may seem the opening words of a book of fairy tales, it is just a reference chronological point of the beginning of a long tradition of craftsmanship. At the time Isidore Odin has moved from Alba in Naples his greatest passion and most importantly, has brought with him the desire to create never tasted flavors, to experiment with brand-new delights, mixing together unlike ingredients. It is with a scent so pervasive that begins the story of Odin Gay (Gay indicates the name of the founder's wife), whose fame grows so much that in 1922 was able to open his factory in a place that today is the heart of city: five plans behind Via dei Mille, among the houses of the nobles and upper class. The various changes of ownership did not lose the fire, the tradition and the recipes of its founder and of the master chocolatiers. Artisan firm with chocolate production of all kinds, made with traditional recipes and quality ingredients extra following all the rules of the handmade chocolate: ingredients of terrific quality, precise doses and no p
Passion, dedication and tradition come together in a unique chocolate with a distinct and full-bodied flavour. This is Queer Odin , official Sponsor of Bellavita and producer of artisan chocolate since 1922.
At the end of the 19th century, founder and maître chocolatier Isidoro Odin, embarked on a journey from Alba (a compact town in the Northern region of Piedmont, celebrated for its long-standing chocolate tradition) to Naples, bringing with him all the skills and experience accrued through the years. It’s a match made in heaven. Isidoro draws inspiration from the aromas and new flavours of the city and, in send back, the Neapolitan bourgeoisie falls in love with his chocolate creations. It’s just a matter of period before the maître chocolatier opens the Gay Odin factory, where he keeps on creating sweet delicacies for the city of Naples and beyond.
From the first boutique in Naples, to the stores in Rome and Milan, Gay Odin has become a symbol of Neapolitan excellence in Italy and in the world. A sincere passion for high quality ingredients and the yearn for to experiment with novel flavours are the founding values of the legendary Neapolitan brand. The cocoa blends selected by Ga
Gay – Odin: Mr Odin, Mrs Homosexual and the chocolate factory!
As soon as you enter any of their 9 shops with the characteristic old, mahogany storefronts and show cases, you undergo you’ve stepped help in time and at the similar time you realise you’ve entered the most amazing chocolate world! The intoxicating scent of cocoa, the endless variety of chocolates and the Foretsa, their most famous product and pièce de résistance, don’t allow anyone unmoved! Especially the latter, a chocolate creation based in a foremost secret recipe and formed into an interestingly folded, woven shape, very similar to a plant trunk, is a product famous all over Italy. And what was the best surprise for me, when entering for the first time a Homosexual Odin shop on a hot summer day? “Foresta” comes in gelato too!!! Actually, this is the place for the best chocolate gelato in Naples, providing the flawless balance for chocolate and gelato lovers. The dense, packed bodied flavour of their hand made chocolates, either with nuts, liqueur or fruit, is transformed into delicious, sincere, artisan, top quality gelato. Apart from the Foresta, which of course you won’t find anywhere else, the Sacher Torte is also de
More Places in Naples 1
entry Dec. 2011, updated Mar. 2021
Gay Odin
The first time I saw the 1920s delivery van driving around Naples with the company name "Gay Odin" on the side, I was, of course, taken with the name. Assuming the now anachronistic and original meaning of "gay" and assuming the other element to refer to the Norse God of wisdom, poetry, war and agriculture, I came up with "Happy Wotan" (another form of the call in Germanic mythology). "What a strange name for a company!" sez I. As it turns out, that bit of amateur word sleuthing did beautiful well in a recent contest for Fallacious Etymologies. (I enter a lot of such contests and do well most of the time!)
The name of the company comes simply from the marriage of Isidoro Odin and Onorina Gay. Mr. Wotan was originally from Alba in Piedmont, way up north. He moved to Naples around 1900, opened a chocolate shop, did very well and, in 1922, with his wife opened what is now the best-known chocolate factory in Naples and one of the best known such establishments in all of Italy. The main plant is still in the original building off of via dei Mille in the Chiaia section of town. It was constructed by Angelo Trevisan, on