Abruzzese Chocolate Nougat

This nougat is as typical of the city of L’ Aquila as the fountain with the ninety-nine spouts, each one representing one of the ninety-nine castles which used to stand on these hills, and the glorious Basilica di Collemaggio, which has the only holy door outside the Vatican. The original recipe is a well-kept secret, still made by one or two small local factories and sold commercially all over the world. It has provided a useful source of calories for expeditions to the North and South Pol