Italy undoubtedly has a sweet tooth, one that leans toward high-quality, elegant, decorative candies. After all, the city of Perugia brought us the lovestruck foil-wrapped Baci kisses, a popular Valentine's Day gift, while Venchi chocolates arose from bubbling bronze cauldrons in Turin, and Ferrero Rocher hails from the small Italian village of Alba. But there's a different type of candy royalty tucked within the Abruzzo region, one that's arguably even more significant. 

The ancient town of Sulmona is the lively heartbeat of Italian confetti candy, both historically and practically, given its continual candy-making cred spanning centuries. Confetti candy is nothing like the colorful shredded paper thrown at weddings or New Year's parties. It's instead a gloriously sweet and crunchy treat: candy-coated almonds. The name confetti actually derives from the Latin word confectum, which means prepared or wrapped — aptly applied to this candy-making technique of "wrapping" each almond in layers of sugar.