Our Guide To Italian Candy You Need To Try

Italy is widely celebrated for its pasta and pizza, and the country captures our culinary imaginations with its gelato and cannoli. With so many delicious baked goods and savory options, it’s easy to overlook Italy’s candy output.

However, we shouldn’t underestimate Italy’s candy offerings. The country crafts unusual and flavorful treats.

Many Italian candies are filled with syrups and concentrates. Those crafting the confections pair unexpected flavors or re-imagine old classics into something refreshing and surprising.

From old favorites to newer versions of beloved classics, Italian candies delight sweet tooths worldwide.

I’ve collected the best Italian candies for those hoping to get international with their snacks. This article discusses everything from hard candy to soft toffee.

I take a look at the companies that craft the confections, as well as the ingredients used to make these delicious treats.

Whether you prefer mint or chocolate, Italy has a candy to delight your palate.

Glaccia Mint Candy by Fida

Mint candies are timeless and borderless. The confections claim fans all over the world.

The flavor has dominated for so long that it’s hard to conceive novel ways to present it.

Fida, founded in Piedmont in 1973, approaches mint in a unique and unexpected fashion.

Glaccia mint candies are filled with a refreshing burst of liquid peppermint flavor.

The treats contain:

Wheat syrup
Sugar
Natural mint flavor

Fida makes Glaccia mint candies using traditional Italian Alps recipes. The resulting treats are refreshing and cool with a powerful burst of mint. Glaccia mints are gluten-free and all-natural.

Gocce Licorice-Flavored Candy by Fida

Gocce licorice-flavored candy is both delicious and medicinal.

The flower-shaped treats are hard on the outside and filled with a liquid licorice center. The candies are an ideal fusion of sweet and bitter, mixing crunchy and liquid textures.

The sweet anise flavor freshens your breath and soothes your throat. Fida follows a traditional Calabrian recipe to produce the licorice extract used in the candies.

Gocce keeps their confections simple, using only sugar, wheat syrup, licorice extract, some some added color and flavorings.

Black licorice enthusiasts will love these individually wrapped treats. Gocce licorice-flavored candies are vegan, gluten-free, and Halal.

Serra Soft Toffee

Florent Serra and Loredana Ferrari began crafting delicious, natural candies in 1947.

Their family shared their passion for crafting confections and continues to produce the many signature treats in their Novi Ligure factory.

Serra specializes in filled candies. The soft toffee is the cream of Serra’s crop.

These nougat bites have a delicate, chewy texture. Serra flavors their toffee with a hint of licorice.

The company uses all Italian-sourced ingredients. Serra avoids artificial colors, letting the ingredients lend the soft toffee their natural hues.

The confections are vegetarian. However, they do contain milk and milk products, so vegans should steer clear.

Perugina Rosanna Hard Candy

Perugina Rosanna inspires feelings of warmth and nostalgia in most Italians.

The candies are the omnipresent threats of grandmothers, offered freely and readily to eager children.

The delicious treats date back to 1926. The candy, created in Perugia, is an homage to Cyrano de Bergerac’s beloved Roxanne.

Everything about the candy-from its delicate case to its red-dress wrapper-mimics the femininity of the romantic heroine.

Much like its inspiration, Perugina Rosanna has a secret. The hard candy melts away to a creamy filling.

Once you’ve made it through the hard candy exterior, a rich mixture of almond, hazelnut, and milk flavors fills your mouth.

The candies are gluten-free but not vegan.

Galatine Candies

Galatine tastes like Italy. The candies are beloved throughout the country, savored for their mild but delicious milky taste.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Legally Treats (@legallytreats)

The Sperlari company originated Galatines, making each candy from all-natural ingredients.

While hardly healthy foods, the confections contain a good dose of calcium and a low measure of fat.

Sperlari created the candy in 1956, and its taste has been bound to all things Italy ever since.

Spelaria and Galatine’s impact is so significant that the Register of Historic Trademarks of National Interest registered the company and product among their ranks.

Galatine candies come in four flavors:

Original
Cookie
Chocolate
Strawberry

Powdered milk is the primary ingredient in Galatine candy. The powdered milk provides a somewhat chalky texture which may not appeal to every taste.

Galatine’s ingredients are:

Sugar
Semi-skimmed milk powder
Low-fat yogurt
Honey

The confections are gluten-free and come individually wrapped.

Ferrero Collection

Children of the 1980s will always associate Ferrero Rocher with their iconic television advertisements.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by iSell Venezuela (@isell_vzla)

The brand transcends its gauzy commercials, creating decadent little hazelnut bites.

Piera and Pietro Ferrero started their confection company in the 1940s. The company remains in family control today.

Ferrero owns 38 brands, but their signature product, and my personal favorite, is the Ferrero Rocher, which is included in the Ferrero Collection.

The Ferrero Collection includes:

Ferrero Rocher: Ferrero Rochers are truffles made of hazelnut and milk chocolate.
Raffaello: Raffaellos are soft, round truffles containing coconut, cream, and almonds.
Rondnoir: Rondnoir truffles contain dark chocolate, hazelnut, and wafer.

The Ferrero Collection includes an equal number of each kind of truffle. The boxes contain 3, 12, 18, or 24 pieces.

Ferrero products are made with high-quality ingredients. The delicious treats are enjoyed in 170 countries.

Herbamelle Amarena Fabbri Black Cherry

Herbamelle and Fabbri are a match made in candy heaven.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by La Bottega Di Valbrona (@bottega_valbrona)

Gennaro Fabbri began making delicious syrups in Porto-maggiore in 1905.

The company’s cherry concoctions have achieved world domination, beloved across the globe.

Herbamelle makes delicious, medicinal candies.

The two companies teamed up to make Amarena cherry-filled candy. The confections have a hard cherry-flavored exterior, but the inside is rich in Fabbri cherry syrup.

The cherry taste is concentrated. I love the lozenges’ tart, slightly sweet taste.

Herbamelle Amarena Fabbri Black Cherry candies are made of sugar, amarena wild cherries, fruit juice, and a few other ingredients.

The candies are gluten-free, Halal, kosher, all-natural, vegan, and lactose-free.