26 Gifts for the Friend Who’s Always Talking About Italy
Maybe they tote an impractical, tiny leather backpack with a fleur de lis stamped on it, name drop the restaurant on Borgo Pinti they frequented while studying abroad in Florence, or have a lot to say about the correct espresso-to-milk ratio of a cortado. There's no questioning it: The friend who checks all these boxes is enamored with Italy, and one of the many. Luckily, this kind of devotee is damn easy to shop for, considering the way Italian inspiration touches nearly every single cultural realm—food, wine, literature, film, and fashion included.
Not only on this list do we have beautiful Italian ingredients, but we also have an online interior design class by way of Florence, a boat ride around the Amalfi Coast, and a one-of-a-kind vintage airline poster.
Here are 26 beautiful Italian gifts for anyone who's ever fallen in love with the country—yourself included.
This gallery has been updated with new information since its original publish date.
All products featured on Condé Nast Traveler are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Williams Sonoma 12-month Italian pantry subscription
For those who have begun practicing Italian cooking but have the ambition to take their skills up a notch to a higher level, stocking their pantry with spices and ingredients that belong in authentic Italian dishes is essential. This William Sonoma pantry subscription would be a total treat for a chef-in-training—a different pantry good is delivered to the recipient each month for 12 months. 25-year-barrel-aged balsamic vinegar in January; Sicilian sausage ragu in February; Tuscan 100 percent extra-virgin olive oil in March; and so on.
Eppicotispai stainless steel Mezzaluna
Chopping and mincing vegetables is one of the most tedious cooking prep tasks—but, naturally, the Italians have an answer to that in the mezzaluna (which translates to half-moon in their language). Rocking a sharp, heavy, curved blade back and forth over carrots, celery, garlic, or onions does the job quickly and easily. It's particularly helpful when making a soffrito, an Italian cooking base for soups, braises, and sauces. This one is made in Italy of stainless steel and has grippable wooden handles.
Marcato Atlas150 pasta maker
If the penultimate Italian food for Americans is pasta, then the penultimate Italian cooking toy just might be a pasta making machine. Consider it the KitchenAid stand mixer of fresh spaghetti. Whether you prefer tagliatelle or pappardelle, ravioli or tortellini, the joy of working with fresh pasta dough is a wonder. The Marcato Atlas 150 is made in Italy out of nickel- and chrome-plated steel and flattens and cuts pasta using a hand crank.
GZCOS Ravioli stamp set
If your friend already has a pasta machine, enable them to get even more out of control with their antics by gifting them a ravioli stamping kit. This one comes with three stamps—a square, a large circle, and a small circle, as well as a rolling blade for free-hand creations. They have fluted edges for elegant, restaurant-status edges, too. This set would be perfect for a grown-up equivalent of a sugar cookie-making party.
Microplane Classic Series zester
Every fridge has a crumbly tub of pre-grated Parmesan cheese—but nonnas looking down from heaven are gasping, “Dio mio!” at the sight of those bland spaghetti strands. The fix? Whipping out a microplane and a hunk of parmigiano-reggiano, stat. The Microplane Classic Series zester does the job as well as any. With its tiny but fierce jagged teeth, it smoothly and effortlessly transforms any hard cheese into what looks like a fluffy pile of fresh-fallen snow and what tastes like salty, sharp, melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness.
Aramedia Risotto spoon
Enough about pasta; let's let risotto have its time in the sun. Simple, hearty, delicious, and variable (mushroom, shrimp, or lemon can star), the creamy rice-based risotto deserves a spot on any Italy-lover's regular recipe rotation. Make that happen for them with the essential risotto tool: a wooden spoon hollowed by a hole in the center. This instrument allows the grains to pass through the center, keeping them distinct and preventing them from being broken and smushed—it also aerates the dish. This highly rated olive wood model is easy to procure at $13 on Amazon.
.JPG)
Moka Express coffee maker
If you’ve spent time in Italy, you know that drip coffee is hardly a thing there. You’d be hard-pressed to find it, even in coffee shops that cater to Americans. (If you manage to find iced coffee, chances are it’s actually an Americano on ice or something similar). Espresso is the Italian way. This applies to the coffee made and sipped in Italian homes, too, where the Moka pot is a key appliance. The little aluminum coffeemaker sits on a stovetop's flame and uses pressurized steam to churn out three cups of espresso—one for you, one for your friend, and one for the house.
Foradori Fuoripista Pinot Grigio
Pinot Grigio, also known as pinot gris, does not have the reputation of its relative Pinot Noir (of which it is a mutation). However, when made beautifully and with care, as it is here, it’s clear that it is a special varietal in its own right. The honeyed, melon character with flinty minerality is both expressive and one-of-a-kind. It comes from Trentino, Italy, and spends more than eight months aging in an amphora. The wine is a collaboration between natural wine legend Elisabetta Foradori and Marco Devigili, a biodynamic winemaker from Campo Rotaliano.
Ferrara Bakery panettone
As far as Italian gifts go, food is a no-brainer. Skip the tricolor cookies this Christmas—any and all party hosts will be much better off with a panettone brought to them instead. This Milanese Christmas cake can be enjoyed around the clock: A wedge of the tall, fluffy, zesty orange treat studded with raisins and candied fruit satisfies for breakfast with espresso, as an afternoon snack, or for dessert with a digestivo like Amaretto. Ferrara Bakery in New York City’s Little Italy makes an excellent one and ships it nationwide.
Interior design class online, Florence
For the activities loving, hands-on traveler in your life who doesn't have the chance to take an international trip next year, why not bring travel to them with an Italy-centric online Airbnb Experience session? This 60-minute Florence-based interior design webinar tours a historic private apartment in the Santa Croce neighborhood. Host Luciano Nicola will show guests how to utilize color and furniture to create desired moods and aesthetics in their own spaces. This class has 226 reviews and an average rating of 4.99 out of 5 stars.
Amalfi coast boat ride and snorkel
Get ready because this one is dreamy—and an in-person Airbnb Experience this time. For an extra special gift, like an anniversary or a honeymoon activity, this Amalfi Coast snorkeling boat ride sounds like a total delight. The watercraft departs Positano in the morning and makes stops at beaches, inside sea caves, and along colorful coastal villages before returning around 4 p.m.. Prosecco, snacks, water, soda, and towels will also be aboard. This tour has an average of 4.9 out of 5 stars and 302 reviews. Another option, for those traveling further south down the boot, is this Sicily boat tour that Condé Nast Traveler senior editor Megan Spurrell enjoyed.
- White Rain
Rome to Venice Viking Cruise
This one is a once-in-a-lifetime milestone trip: an eight-day Viking cruise voyage that sails around the coastline of Italy. The first day is in Rome, stops are made in Sicily and elsewhere, and the last two days conclude in Venice. (And on day six, it makes its only out-of-Italy stop in Šibenik, Croatia, the oldest Croatian city on the Dalmatian Coast.)
Cuoioffine Notte cross-body bag
Italian style is rooted in originality. Odds are the Italy fanatic in your life is a souvenir fiend who obsesses over all things one-of-a-kind and authentic. So why not order her a gift straight from Italy that no one she knows owns? Cuoiofficine Firenze makes gorgeous leather bags that are painted, engraved, and tattooed by hand. Their styles include crossbody, tote, and bucket bags, both big and small, as well as wallets, portfolios, and more. One of these special pieces is just the thing you need to embody the Italian notion of nonsoché, or “a certain something” in an outfit.
Canfora Tomas sandal
The ultimate souvenir from the island of Capri—where the grottos are blue, the cliffs are limestone, and the vacationers are often famous—is a pair of custom, made-to-order leather sandals. These days, you don’t have to actually have to step foot on the island to buy a pair. Canfora, a shop located at Via Camerelle 3, Capri, takes orders online, too. Every pair is sewn by hand in the Capri shop using genuine Italian leather, with an iron arch support within, and rubber soles. A pair of these sandals would be ideal for the friend patiently waiting for a tropical vacation.
Hardcover Notebook with a Vintage Map of Italy
For your Italy-adoring writer friend with vintage style, you can do no wrong with this hard-cover notebook covered by a map of Italy, available on Redbubble. Can't you picture this sliding right into their distressed dark brown leather satchel after a class or meeting? It also comes in a spiral version.
1930s Alitalia Airline poster
Manufactured in 1948 and issued by airline Alitalia, this colorful vintage poster is both a mod work of art and a genuine vintage good. The bright blocks of colors and evocative tropical umbrella, fruit, and wine pictured are as transportive as it gets. It'll bring the viewer to a time when traveling by air was a glamorous affair.
Gilded puzzle
These handmade puzzles come in whimsically-shaped representations of Florence landmarks—Santo Spirito, Santa Croce, San Miniato, and the Palazzo Vecchio—and are made of hand-cut birch plywood and gilded in gold leaf. Jane Harman, who restores antiques and works with wood in Florence’s artisan district, the Oltrarno, creates these puzzles, which are more for decoration than play. Each one is packaged in a handmade box, so half the wrapping is done for you.
Vintage Murano glass Christmas tree
If you are familiar with Murano, a collection of islands which floats beyond the Venetian Lagoon, then you know it is renowned for making glass. Glass has been its main export since the 13th century, and in their prime artisans enjoyed high status and created the transparent fine glass as well as milk glass, which resembles porcelain. These vivid Christmas tree sculptures from the 1980s make beautiful use of the medium and are just right for the antique collector in your life.
Santa Maria Novella Crema Fluida Relax
One advantage—of several—that the Italians have on Americans during this time is their ability to see the big picture, to not sweat the small stuff, to just relax. We might as well make like them with spa products that promise to help us do just that. This body lotion, cinnamon-, orange-, and rosemary-scented, is best applied after bathing as an anti-stress treatment. It comes from Florence’s Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella, a pharmacy that was founded in 1612 and uses its very own secret formulas to this day.
Elegant Acqua di Parma perfume
The lotion above is for you to smell while hanging at home, but a lovely perfume is needed for those times you leave the house. This one is sexy, effortless, and everlasting, just like good Italian style. It smells of Sicilian citrus, lavender, and damask rose, with notes of sandalwood, vetiver, and patchouli. Acqua di Parma is a quintessential fragrance brand, and all its products are made in Italy.
.JPG)
.JPG)
Liguria: The Cookbook
Ever wonder about the origin of pesto? How about focaccia? You can thank Liguria, a crescent-shaped region in northwest Italy on the Mediterranean coastline, home to Cinque Terre and other bright and colorful fishing villages. This cookbook, Liguria: The Cookbook: Recipes from the Italian Riviera, tells the story of the region’s gastronomy. In its pages, find dishes like corzetti (a medallion-shaped stamped pasta), stuffed anchovies, and fritto misto.
Wine Atlas of Italy by Burton Anderson
Even for the most avid Italian wine lovers, the category is a difficult one to master. After all, Italy cultivates nearly 2,000 native grape varieties and is home to a multiplicity of wine-making regions, from Piedmonte to Sicily and everything in between. For the oenophile with a passion for Italian wine, Wine Atlas of Italy is a little-known text that is required reading. The book contains 57 maps of Italian winemaking regions, many made by the author himself because few existed at the time of publication. He also includes helpful (though sometimes outdated) travel intel on restaurants, hotels, wine shops, and local sights.
Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan
Do you devoutly abide by incredibly specific Italian cooking decrees and not really know why? Ones that strictly forbid pre-grated cheese and garlic presses? Instruct starting onions in a cold pan? Defend dried pasta over fresh? Then you, my friend, have been influenced by Marcella Hazan. The matriarch of Americans who cook Italian is renowned for her strong opinions, yes, but also for her perfect, three-ingredient tomato sauce. Whole peeled tomatoes, halved onions, and butter—that’ll do it. To access the troves of her wisdom, this timeless cookbook is a must-read.
.JPG)
Italy by Gray Malin
Aerial shots, pleasingly neat geometric patterns in the form of pinwheel-like umbrellas, and brilliant blue hues: You know Gray Malin when you see him. In Italy, the king of aesthetics showcases the photographs he took during summer visits to the coast. The pictured regions are scattered along the border of the boot—the Amalfi Coast, Capri, Cinque Terre, Lake Como, Puglia, Sicily, Tuscany, and Portofino grace the glossy pages of this cheerful coffee table book. Sunbathers on the hot white rocks of Grotta della Poesia, boats bobbing in the azure waters of Portofino harbor, and sun-bleached clouds above the seaside cliffs of Capri will give your imagination all it needs to make it through winter. In the introduction, Malin even likens Italy to an ice cream cone in July. Whether or not you find that analogy silly, the bright and beachy images that follow are certainly as enticing as it gets.
Life Is Beautiful
This 1997 Roberto Benigni film is unforgettable. The story follows a funny and charming Jewish librarian named Guido in 1930s Italy. He woos and marries a woman from a nearby town, and soon they have a son, living happily until Germany occupies Italy and they’re forced into a concentration camp. Guido emotionally protects his son from the terrors they face by pretending their time at the camp is a game. There’s no time like the present for this timeless and beautiful reminder that love, hope, and optimism always triumph.
