Majani: Crafting Sweet Delights Since 1796 in Bologna

Majani has operated from Via Fra’ Silvestro in the historic centre of Bologna since 1834. Founded in 1796, it is widely regarded as the oldest chocolate manufacturer in Italy. In 1832, it became the first Italian company to produce chocolate in solid form — before that, chocolate was consumed exclusively as a drink. In 1868 it produced Italy’s first pure cacao tablets. Its most famous product, the Cremino Fiat, was created in 1911 for a Fiat competition to celebrate the Tipo 4 car: a four-layer chocolate alternating hazelnut and almond paste with dark chocolate, made to the same recipe ever since.

History

The business was founded in 1796 by Teresina and Teresa Majani as a small confectionery workshop near the Basilica di San Petronio in the historic centre. As demand grew, it relocated in 1834 to Via Fra’ Silvestro, which remains the flagship store and production site today. The methods established in 1796 have been maintained across generations with very little alteration.

Key products

Scorza (1832): the first chocolate in solid form produced in Italy. Before Majani introduced it, chocolate was consumed only as a beverage. Scorza is made by rolling a thin layer of chocolate on itself — the result is a crumbly, irregular bar with a rough surface resembling tree bark. The flavour comes from carefully blended cocoa beans and very little else; it is a deliberately simple product.

Cremino Fiat (1911): Majani’s signature product. Fiat launched a competition among Italian confectioners to mark the release of the Tipo 4 model. Majani won with a four-layer square alternating hazelnut and almond paste (gianduja) with dark chocolate — no milk in the recipe. The creaminess comes entirely from the nut percentage. The product took the car’s name and has been made to the same formula for over a century.

Tortellino: a chocolate shaped like Bologna’s signature pasta. Majani uses it as a direct reference to the city’s food identity — the same shape that defines Bolognese cuisine, rendered in chocolate. It is a good thing to buy for someone who has eaten the real tortellini in brodo and wants to take something distinctly Bolognese home.

Majani in Bologna

The shop at Via Fra’ Silvestro sits a few minutes from Piazza Maggiore, in a part of the historic centre that has been associated with fine food since the medieval period. Majani chocolates have been part of Bolognese daily life for generations — bought for celebrations, given as gifts at Christmas and Easter, and eaten as part of the city’s rhythm in a way very few products from any Italian city can claim.

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