If you’re an expat living in Italy, taking a trip home to visit your family and friends, you’re sure to bring along a few Italian gifts, a little taste of Italy for your loved ones. The best souvenirs from Italy say “authentic” and “thoughtful” without breaking the bank. Thankfully, there are plenty of incredible Italian themed gifts to buy for everyone on your list, either edible or non-edible. To take it up a notch, you could put together several of your favorite Italian goodies to create a larger Italy gift basket for that special someone in your life.
The secret to choosing Italian gifts that look and feel authentic is to buy things from your region, things that have a story, bought from your local corner shop. For a nice touch of originality and thoughtfulness, include a photo of the place where you bought it, with the gift.
Best Non-Edible Italian Gifts
Non-edible gifts are a great choice to bring back from Italy, because they aren’t perishable and you won’t take any chances at TSA checks at the airport. The most appreciated gifts are objects that are original or quirky, unique to Italy, or even better, to a particular region, which you would have a hard time buying anywhere else outside of that region. There are also plenty of small Italian themed gifts you could combine into a gift basket, mixing and matching edibles and non-edibles, or going for a kitchen or fashion theme, depending on the intended recipient.
Here are a few Italian gift ideas that are sure to impress your family and friends, or maybe bring a smile to their face:
Murano glass souvenirs and jewelry from Venice
Quirky ceramic gifts from Naples
Fragrant soaps and candles from the Amalfi Coast
Stone art from Florence
Photo credit Scarpelli Mosaici
Catholic, pope-themed souvenirs from the Vatican
Small leather goods from Rome
Hand-carved olive wood kitchen utensils
Best Edible Italian Gifts
Edible gifts are ideal for creating lovely Italian-themed gift baskets, and if there was ever a country on Earth generous in gourmet foods, it is Italy. There are plenty of non-perishable quintessentially Italian foods you can bring home as gifts that your family and friends will cherish regardless if they are into cooking. Everyone’s into eating, and Italian cuisine is one of the most popular in the world. In other words, you won’t go wrong with any of these edible Italian gift ideas:
Fancy regional pasta or quirky-shaped pasta
Truffle salt
Photo Credit Piccantino
Limoncello from the Amalfi Coast
Pistachio cream liquor from Sicily
Photo credit insicilia.com
Sundried tomatoes
Photo Credit Almaverde
Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese from Emilia-Romagna
Pocket coffee
Almond-based sweets from Sicily
Photo credit Gloria Condorelli
Wine from your region
Aged balsamic vinegar from Modena
Quality olive oil from Puglia
Grappa
Do you have any great gift ideas from Italy that were a hit with your loved ones at home? Tell us in the comments below and we’ll be sure to add them to the list.
