An Italian Christmas Gift Guide for Foodies
What a year! I think it’s safe to say we could all use a little holiday joy. And what better way to get into the festive spirit than to start planning for Christmas!
I’ve put together a list of some of my favorite things, so you can gift your loved ones something truly unique and special this holiday season. All of these items can be ordered online and delivered right to your door. And in the process you’ll be supporting small businesses.
That's what I call a double win!
An Italian Gift Guide for Foodies
Q.B. Cucina
In Italian cuisine, q.b. stands for quanto basta, or “as much as needed”, a phrase you’ll see quite often in cookbooks across Italy. So, q.b. cucina, a delightful culinary and kitchen store is built on the idea of ‘nourishing your appetite and replenishing your kitchen as much as you need’. It was started by Sarah Ubertaccio, whose grandparents immigrated to the US from Sicily in the early 1900s. Her Grandparent’s love for their country inspired her to pack her bags and experience Italy for herself. She’s now based in North Carolina, where she curates q.b. cucina’s beautiful store, shares Italian recipes, and runs wonderful Pasta Classes.
For the foodie friend or significant other in your life, you can gift one of q.b. cucina’s Pasta Making Classes! After all, experiences are the gift that keeps on giving (and who knows, your loved one might just invite you over for handmade pasta afterward!).
Doing Italy Recommends: Peromatto Rust Dyed Linens
If your loved one is already a pasta-making whiz, check out q.b. cucina’s beautifully curated store! I for one can’t go past the Peromatto Rust Dyed Linens. Made by artisans in the Romagna region, these linens are manually stamped using wooden block stamps. Choose from napkins, tea towels, and aprons, or if you’re feeling extra generous, gift a whole set!
Plus, when I wrote Sarah telling her she’s be in this line up she very generously offered a discount to all of you. Use doingitaly10 to get 10% purchase on all products (except gift cards) through the end of the year (12/31/2020).
Bonfissuto: Traditional Sicilian Sweets
Run by two Italian brothers, Bonfissuto makes some of the most mouth-watering Sicilian sweets around. Their passion for Sicilian desserts shines through, but they don’t just serve up Sicilian sweets as you’d expect. While still respecting Sicily’s strong heritage and culture of patisserie, the Bonfissuto brothers seek to reinvent Sicily’s most famous creations. And let me tell you, their pastries and desserts are truly, truly, delicious.
Doing Italy Recommends: Panettone (traditional, chocolate, or pistachio. They are all oh so good!)
Panettone is a Christmas dessert famous across Italy, and perfect for any loved ones with a sweet tooth. They’re usually given as gifts and by the end of the festive season, most Italians have shelves lined with Panettone! But what is panettone? Well, it’s a soft, sweet bread traditionally filled with dried fruits, and it is delicious! Check out Bonfissuto’s website though for their full range of delightful flavors.
Photo by Alessandro Castiglioni
PiattoUnico: Handmade Italian Ceramics
PiattoUnico is a beautiful ceramic artisan based in Northern Italy that began as a passion project. Started by Emanuela Sara, an interior architect, PiattoUnico has since grown a loyal following. Her beautiful plates are handmade in her studio near Lago Maggiore, and can be bought from her existing collections or for something extra special, PiattoUnico can make dinnerware sets on assignment.
Doing Italy Recommends: Pezzi Unici
For something extra special and unique, and for that one person who’s notoriously hard to buy gifts for, check out PiattoUnico’s range of Pezzi Unici, meaning “one-of-a-kind”. These ceramics are created using vintage ceramics, that Emanuela restores before hand-painting beautiful, unique designs.
Curious Appetite
You might already know this from my Expat Story post about Curious Appetite, but in case you missed it, Curious Appetite designs and leads delicious culinary tours across Tuscany and Bologna. Started by Coral Sisk, a food writer who has written for everyone from Conde Nast Traveler to Vogue Magazine, Curious Appetite’s food tours will take you on an amazing culinary journey. And luckily for us, Coral is now running online food tours and delivering delicious Gourmet Gift boxes to your door to see us through lockdown!
Doing Italy Recommends: Florentine Gourmet Club
Curious Appetite has put together a range of different Gourmet Gift Boxes to suit everyone and every budget. The best news – she’s shipping to the US! These boxes include everything from Aged Balsamic Vinegar to Artisan Cheese, Fruit Compotes, and Marinated Figs. Trust me, you can’t go wrong gifting one of these!
Authentic Tuscany
Authentic Tuscany is another incredible Italian business run by a fellow expat! Marie and her husband, Lorenzo, renovated a beautiful but rundown Tuscan property, before converting it into an absolutely beautiful Airbnb. You can read more about their story and their beautiful 12th Century Medieval Tower House on a blog I recently wrote about them, here.
Doing Italy Recommends: Vicopisano Flavored Olive Oil
Just a few days ago, Authentic Tuscany announced that they are teaming up with a local organic producer to bring you all luxurious extra virgin olive oil from a beautiful olive farm in Vicopisano. In addition to the traditional EVOO, they also have a naturally flavored olive oils.
What’s unique about their flavored oils? They aren’t infused. instead, the use natural raw ingredients such as basil, rosemary, lemon, garlic and chili which have been cold pressed at the same time as the olives in the mill. The result is an explosion of flavor.
This is a perfect gift for your friends who adore Italy, or who are really, really into their food. And you’re in luck these olive oils can be delivered to door steps around the world. Just send Marie an email.
Old World Italian by Mimi Thorisson
You might know Mimi Thorisson from her beloved Instagram that seems more fairytale than reality. Mimi shares her dreamy family adventures and mouthwatering food from their country property in Médoc, France. She is much more than just your average influencer though - having grown up between Hong Kong and France, Mimi is both passionate and incredibly knowledgeable about food.
Doing Italy Recommends: Old World Italian
Mimi Thorisson’s newly released cookbook, Old World Italian, is a love letter to the wonderfully rich culture of home cooking in Italy. The book is filled with beautiful images and recipes that will make you feel as if you’re adventuring around Italy, from the comfort of your own kitchen.
Cookbook: Amazon (affiliate link) - Penguin Random House | Website | Instagram
Tasting Rome by Kristina Gill
Kristina Gill is an incredibly talented, passionate, and knowledgeable food photographer and writer based in Italy. Her work has been published by some truly incredible magazines, from National Geographic Traveler to Kinfolk, and was previously the food & drinks editor at Design Sponge. It’s no wonder then that her breakthrough cookbook, Tasting Rome, has won awards and received multiple reprints.
Doing Italy Recommends: Tasting Rome
Take yourself on a culinary journey through Rome with Gill’s beautifully photographed and written book, Tasting Rome. Alongside co-author, Katie Parla, Gill visits Rome’s ancient food culture, famous for its rich, moreish flavors.
Has this Italian Christmas Gift Guide inspired you to gift something Italian to your loved ones? I’d love to hear what you’ve ordered, so let me know in the comments below!
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