According to the legend, its origins date backmore than 300 years to the presence of Christian monks living in the hills of the Piedmont region of northern Italy. Their skills in fine food and drinks included the art of distilling, especially the use of the wild hazelnuts and other precious ingredients to create liquor recipes such as the one on which Frangelico is based today. Its name is also part of the same local legend - an abbreviation of Fra’ Angelico, a hermit monk believed to have inhabited the magnificent Piedmont hills during the 18th century.

Tonda Gentile hazelnuts are known for being bigger, plumper and more uniform, with a skin that sheds easily, perfect for toasting without a bitter taste. Their sweet flavour is the reason they are so sought after by internationally known confectionery and worldwide popular gianduia chocolate creams. Tonda Gentile hazelnuts, grown in the Langhe, an area of rural hills and picturesque villages in southern Piedmont, are also used to obtain the distillate for Frangelico. The hazelnuts once toasted and distilled with alcohol, are married with other flavoring preparations including cocoa, coffee, vanilla according to the secret recipe and transformed into more than 3 millions bottles of Frangelico for enjoyment around the world, as well as in their native Italy.