I noticed that Casanova is consuming chocolate often and that many friends he makes invite him to "take chocolate with them" in the mornings. What was chocolate like in 18th century Italy and how prevalent was it? Was it really that normal to invite over guests to eat chocolate with you and hold a conversation? Also chocolate isn't really known as something you would eat in the morning but was it consumed early in the day often?
Chocolate was a component in a hot drink for the Aztecs and was introduced to Europe in the 16th century, where it was served as a drink with sugar and vanilla. It was popular drink in coffeeshops for a couple centuries before it started to be used in confections. So I expect having someone over for chocolate would be rather like having them over for coffee.
Source: On Food and Cooking, Harold McGee
The making of solid chocolate candy was a 19th C invention. Before that, one did not eat chocolate, one drank it. They poured boiling water over nibs to brew it. It functioned just like coffee and tea.