Feature: Forbidden love at center of Obidos' chocolate festival

Obidos chocolate festival this year was given a Baroque twist, featuring a Portuguese version of Romeo and Juliet.

"It has to do with the most immortal Portuguese love which is prohibited love, between the future King of Portugal and a lady who didn't meet the conditions to be Queen at the time, and which led to her death," organizer Bruno Silva said.

The theme was certainly adequate for the walled Moorish city, around 80 km north of Lisbon, where the event takes place.

The sculpture of lady Ines is made out of white chocolate and lies on top of a milk chocolate tree trunk, dressed in a baroque-styled dress with elaborate details-- all in chocolate of course.

Other sculptures in the festival's exhibition included two lovers wrapped in each others hands, a mother with her young daughter, and a Queen of Hearts as well as recreations of 18th century furniture.

At the end, visitors could vote their favorite sculpture by filling in a short questionnaire.

"We made around 20 sculptures in five group this year, and used around 5 tons of white and milk chocolate of medium quality," Vitor Nunes, technical director told Xinhua.

A series of chocolate cooking workshops took place throughout the event, which kicked on April 16, where visitors had the chance to experience making home-made chocolate pizza, among other chocolate extravaganzas.

Visitors could also enjoy typical "Ginginha" liqueur from various stands, which they drank out of miniature chocolate cups and could devour after drinking the cherry-flavored indulgence.

On Saturday night a chocolate-inspired catwalk took place at Obidos' castle.

Tickets for the festival ranged from 5 to 8 euros for adults and between 3 to 5 euros for children.

The budget for the festival was estimated by organizers to be around 200,000 euros this year, and around 90,000 visitors attended the event, which ended this Sunday. Endit