Casa del Coco

We then walked through Cuenca's French district to visit La Casa del Coco. Many French scholars and scientists came to Cuenca following the Spanish conquest, drawn here by the desire to measure the length of one degree of longitude at the Earth's equator in order to experimentally determine the shape of the globe. They left a lasting legacy in the city in terms of the number of buildings constructed in the French style.

La Casa del Coco is the former family home of Florencia Astudillo Valdivieso, one of the wealthiest women in the region at the end of the 19th century. This house is one of the best fusion examples between the colonial style and French decoration.

Part of the house is now used by Paccari chocolate. Founded in 2001, Paccari is a fair trade company that has won multiple awards for its products. It ranked number one in a study of the most ethical chocolate producers in the world (Cadbury came bottom!)

Upstairs in the building is an incredible room which is now used for tastings. It is decorated in the French style. At first glance, it appears to be adorned with fabric and ceramic, but it is actually done in aluminium. It's incredible! We have certainly never seen anything like it before.

We tasted several different types of chocolate and bought some chocolate coated coffee beans.Read more