The best Italian gifts: for people who love Italy

Ciao a tutti! We love Italy and all things Italian. And we love receiving gifts that remind us of our favorite country in the world.

Italian themed gifts are a thoughtful way to show your Italy loving friends and family that you understand their passion and want to celebrate it with them.

We created this huge guide of Italian gifts to help you find that perfect present, no matter their age and interests or your budget. You’ll find everything from gift baskets, to books and cooking items to unique experiences. And it’s ok to add these things to your list too. I know I do!

Here are the top 3 items on my wishlist – apart from a trip to Italy of course!

• Virtual aperitivo – a fun way to celebrate the Italian way with a host live from Rome. Cin cin!
• delicious aged balsamic vinegar to drizzle over salad greens or eat with a slice of pecorino cheese
• this gorgeous images of Italy coffee table book full of gorgeous scenes from bella Italia

But, enough about me, start your Italy gift browsing now.

Virtual experiences

If we can’t go to Italy just yet we can still dream and plan. Several of our favorite companies are offering virtual tours and cooking classes so you can get in the mood for Italy from the comfort of home. Many of our readers have built these experiences into birthday celebrations for their loved ones. What a great idea! Here are some of the best:

Cooking with Nonna

Buying a gift for someone who wants to learn how to make pasta? Look no further than Nonna Nerina’s cooking class. Everyone knows that nonnas are expert pasta makers and Nerina has been teaching visitors to Italy for years to make their own. In 2020 the classes were brought online so people can learn in their own home. Gift cards are available – more info

WithLocals private online experiences

WithLocals offer wonderful private tours in Italy and around the world. Their online experiences are for up to 10 people means you can easily make them part of celebrations. You can take a virtual tour of Pompeii or create aperitivo hour in Rome with conversation to match and even cook a Tuscan pasta feast.

Italian language classes

Do you know someone who would love to learn Italian? There are many free resources online but nothing quite beats a structured course that can help you get from a friendly Ciao! to more in depth conversations with locals. Italian is such a beautiful language that getting the pronunciation right is important so look for a course or class that focuses on practicing sounds and speaking the language as Italians do.

We use and recommend Rocket Italian an online course and app which aims to get you to conversational level quickly. It has interactive voice lessons and cultural classes so you build confidence with common phrases you need in Italy. They also have a 60 day returns policy should your friend or loved one not find the lessons suitable > click here for course details

Italian gift baskets

Everyone loves Italian food don’t they? An Italian themed gift basket is an easy and thoughtful present that even the person who has everything will enjoy or share with friends and family.

We like this ‘Grazie’ Italian gift basket that bite by bite will take you back to delicious memories of any trip to Italy, with IGP pasta, an organic sauce, a few snacks like sopressata salame, olives, and crunchy tarallini crackers, and something sweet to top it all off.

1. Italian ‘thank you’ basket – has everything they need for an Italian feast > check inside
2. Capri gift box – choose from a selection of boxes full of tasty Capri products including oils, wine and sauces  > more info
3. Tuscany Christmas gift box – celebrate Christmas with one of Chianti-based KM Zero tours Tuscan gift boxes > more info
4. Italian Dinner Box – From appetizer to dessert all the ingredients for a delicious meal > more info
5. Gourmet Sicily box – Chef Annalisa’s selections include 2 online cooking lessons > more info

Make your own Italian food gift basket

Feeling creative and want to personalize your gift? Take a look at some of our favorite Italian products available in the United States and worldwide.

1. Biscotti – to munch on while you cook or dip into coffee > dunking details
2. Italian cookies – delicious sweet treats inspired by Italian favorites > click here for yum!
3. Arborio rice – for the best ever risotto – second helpings mandatory > where to buy
4. Aged balsamic vinegar – salads will never taste so good > more info
5. Torrone – a decadent after dinner nougat treat > delicious details
6. Pecorino – the most delicious Italian sheep’s milk cheese > shop here
7. Pasta – imported from Italy and best cooked to al dente > more info
8. Olive oil – you can’t make an Italian savory dish without it > drizzle details
9. Espresso coffee – Italians do it better! > get the brew

Just imagine what fun you will have choosing the items for your gift basket. You can also cater for food allergies, intolerances and preferences this way. For instance by choosing a high quality Italian made gluten free pasta.

Italian kitchen items

If you’re in love with Italy, chances are you love Italian food and cooking dishes in your own home. These gifts are perfect for any cook who loves to create Italian meals – from pasta to risotto and tiramisu.

1. Cheese grater – for the finishing touch on a pasta dish – Alessi make the best > details
2. Pasta machine – help them handroll their own linguine! > product info
3. Oil and vinegar set – for the perfect Italian table > more info
4. Moka espresso maker – you’ll find this stove top coffee maker in every Italian kitchen > product info

Books about Italy

Do your friends and family love to read? Choose a book that is set in Italy for their gift. Reading inspires travel and memories of trips past. Here are some book ideas for your Italy loving friend.

Novels set in Italy

Best book(s) for your best friend – No one quite captures the spirit of Naples like Elena Ferrante. The first of a quartet of best-selling novels, My Brilliant Friend explores the beginnings of a lifelong friendship between two girls who grew up on the rough streets of Naples. I read all four books within 2 weeks!  – > read our full review

Best for romantics – A Room with a View – at the turn of the 20th century, English woman Lucy Honeychurch tours Italy and undergoes a personal transformation. This classic novel transports you to Florence and the hills of Tuscany with every page.

Best for mystery lovers – The Villa in Italy – Four strangers are thrown together by fate to resolve the last will and testament of a woman they never met.

Best for lovers of historical fiction – Beneath a Scarlet Sky – set in Nazi-occupied Milan, this novel tells the true story of resistance hero Pino Lella.

Italian cook books

Home cooks appreciate great books that inspire their taste buds. There are so many great Italian cookbooks that cover general cooking techniques, through to detailed pasta and pizza making. 

Best for serious cooks – Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking and this excellent guide to regional Italian cooking

Best for families – easy and popular recipes from one of Italy’s favorite chefs and mentor to Jamie Oliver – Gennaro Let’s Cook Italian: Favourite Family Recipes

Best for easy recipes – Jamie Oliver’s chicken cacciatore is a winning dish that never fails – you’ll find it in his book Jamie’s Italy

Guide books for Italy

Even though we have been to Italy many times, we continue to read guide books (as well as blogs!) to help guide our travels. Guide books are a useful gift and can stir serious wanderlust! 

For first time visitors to Italy choose Lonely Planet Italy or Rick Steves Italy 2022. Both well respected guides to Italy are valuable resources for any traveler. For those who would enjoy a bit of fun and spirit of adventure alongside travel practicalities, Glam Italia! is a great read.

More seasoned travelers interested in art and culture will enjoy Blue Guide Sicily and Blue Guide Southern Italy.

The National Geographic’s Walking Rome or The Cognoscenti’s Guide to Florence are great choices for city trippers looking to explore beyond the beaten path. The Glam Italia! guides from author Corinna Cooke have fun, inspiring and detail-packed Italy city guides for Venice, Florence, and Rome.

If you’re looking for more ideas we wrote a full guide to the best travel guidebooks for Italy – includes guides for Italy as as whole as well as regional travel books.

Experiences in Italy

Are you buying a gift for someone who is going on a trip to Italy soon? I always think experience gifts that create life long memories are some of the best. Here are some experiences that your family and friends will love. You can buy a gift certificate if you are not sure what they would like to do.

Small group tours and experiences

Our favorite small group tour company is Take Walks (formerly Walks of Italy) They have a longstanding reputation for excellent service, groups under 20 people and guaranteed departures. So if you are the only person booked on a tour it will still go ahead. You can also buy Take Walks gift cards, so the recipient can choose from the huge variety of experiences on offer.

Here are some ideas based on their most popular tours:

• Rome pasta making class and dinner – prosecco, pasta and great company overlooking the rooftops of Rome
• Tuscany day trip – discover Siena and San Gimignano as well as the wines of Tuscany over a farmhouse lunch
• Boat hopping on the Amalfi coast (day trip from Rome) – nothing could be finer, I can already taste the limoncello!
• Colosseum at night tour – experience the beauty of one of the world’s most iconic monuments by moonlight – magical!

If you can’t find the tour you are looking for try WithLocals – they run private tours at reasonable prices including some great options for families.

For larger group tours and activities we recommend GetYourGuide to source and book tours in Italy and Europe. To buy a gift card from GetYourGuide click here or you can read our full review here.

Favorite food tours

We are big fans of food tours wherever we go. It’s the best way to discover the cuisine and culture of the places you visit. This is fun even if you have visited a destination many times. There’s always something new and tasty to uncover.

Here are some recommended food tours throughout Italy:

• guided food tour in the Trastevere neighborhood of Rome with food tour specialists Eating Europe [gift cards available]

• discover ‘the other side of Florence’ with this 4-hour walking (and eating) tour of Oltrano – the city’s artisan food district – click for details

• eat your way around Venice with a market and Cicchetti tour Raphael Tours available on Get Your Guide. Cicchetti are like Venetian tapas or bar food and it’s a wonderful way to explore the city > click here for more information

Italy posters, prints and picture books

Maps, canvas art, vintage travel posters and prints are nostalgic and brighten up any room. Choose their favorite place in Italy and this will be a gift that is cherished for years to come. If there’s a big space or wall to fill, you could choose a paneled canvas wall art piece to transport them back to the Cinque Terre or the vineyards of Tuscany.

1. Modern map of Rome > check prices
2. Three panel Cinque Terre canvas art print > check prices
3. Cinque Terre beach art print > check prices
4. Tuscany art print > check prices

1. Marcus Aurelius print > check prices
2. Burano Venice art print > check prices
3. Amalfi Coast print > check prices
4. Positano original painting > check prices

Photo book of memories

If you have access to favorite photos from trips past, you could make a special personalized photo book that captures those Italian memories forever. Get those photos out of your phone or computer and make a book that they will treasure forever. 

You can make beautiful photo books with Blurb. We like their wide range of formats and high quality finish. Take a browse of some of their travel book formats and books that others have created from their own trips for inspiration. 

Clothing and accessories

Italian made accessories and clothing are always a good idea. Well made and stylish, they are a welcome gift that will stand the test of time.

For her

In Italy it is always important to look good (you can read all about the whys and how to’s here). Harness that spirit and choose a special gift like this beautiful Italian silk scarf or these cool Prada sunglasses.

For those that collect bracelet charms you can find a wide range of Italian themed charms – there’s everything from the cutest pasta charms to Venetian gondolas!

Those with a sense of fun will love these pasta earrings.

For him

Of course, it’s not just the women who are super stylish in Italy. As a general rule, Italian men take pride in their appearance by sporting a silk tie and always the coolest sunglasses. 

If you are buying a gift for a man that appreciates Italian style, you can’t go wrong with Italian leather goods like a leather belt or pocket wallet.

And for your sports mad Italy lover, they can get behind the Italian national team with this Team Italia football shirt.

Fragrance and beauty

Nothing quite takes you back to place like the aromas that you enjoyed there. Is it wisteria wafting in the breeze on Lake Como or the lemon groves of Sicily that bring back those trip memories? 

We don’t buy too many souvenirs but I just had to have Carthusia’s Fiori di Capri scent after we spent a magical day touring Capri by boat. A small spritz of that scent takes me back to that day in an instant.

And now we have quite the collection of Italian scented goods. Acqua Di Parma’s Colonia shower gel is an everyday luxury that makes a beautiful gift. 

This Florentine Soap Collection could be divided into a number of smaller gifts or stocking stuffers.

For the home

Bring a little piece of Italy into their home with these Italian gift ideas like the Rome cushion case or Italy 2023 calendar pictured below.

If they are the type to stay home and enjoy quiet, thinking activities, how about an Italy Jigsaw Puzzle that will keep them busy for hours or these learn to speak Italian flash cards.

This Fornasetti candle – is our idea of the ultimate luxury and would be a very special gift indeed.

Italian Christmas decorations and ornaments

My mother collects ornaments from each place she travels to. It’s a lovely tradition and I think ornaments are wonderful gifts.

An Italian Christmas ornament is a small and thoughtful gift for those who love Italy and Christmas too. I like this kitschy pizza ornament (also the cannolo version!) and the Leaning Tower Of Pisa ornament for the tree.

Handcrafted ornaments from Italy are especially beautiful. This glass ornament is an example of the finest artisan glass blowing techniques from Murano island near Venice.

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