A Last Minute Gift Guide for Italophiles

Issue #63

Dec 14, 2023

Happy holidays! Have you already taken care of all your shopping this year? Or are you still looking for a few last minute gifts?

Honestly, I wasn’t planning to write a gift guide this year, but then I realized I would be remiss not to celebrate the contributions of the many incredible artisans, designers, writers, artists, and memory makers doing wonderful things in Italy. After all, products made in Italy are famous around the world for their quality.

The point of this guide is to introduce you to products and creators you might not know of, so you won’t find any famous designers or big brands here—just independent artisans, craftsmen, writers, and the like. There’s no sponsored content or affiliate links, just things and people I wholeheartedly recommend. Happy shopping!

Books & Magazines

Pomegranates & Artichokes photo by Saghar Setareh

I have to recommend a few wonderful new titles by my friends and colleagues that were published this year. First up is The Eternal City: Recipes and stories from Rome by Maria Pasquale. This book is a love letter to Roman cuisine with recipes from the cucina povera tradition, along with vignettes of Rome’s trattorias, cheese shops, wine bars, bakeries, markets, and the people behind them.

Another cookbook I can’t recommend highly enough is Pomegranates & Artichokes: Recipes and memories of a journey from Iran to Italy by Saghar Setareh, a writer and photographer from Iran who now lives in Rome. With sections dedicated to Iran, Italy, and the lands in between, this book shows that these regions have a lot more in common than we might think. Both books would be fabulous gifts for a friend or family member who loves to cook.

For the person on your list who loves luxury hotels with fascinating stories behind them, Cala di Volpe by Nicky Swallow is a transportive look at the legendary resort on Sardinia’s famed Costa Smeralda that celebrated its 60th anniversary this year.

For something a bit more practical, the 2024 edition of Fodor’s Rome (updated by yours truly in collaboration with Natalie Kennedy) is out now. This detailed guidebook has recommendations for hotels, restaurants, bars, cafes, shops, museums, archeological sites, and much more.

And don’t forget, you can give a subscription to the New Roman Times! Paid subscribers get access to all past and future paywalled issues, plus perks like discounts with my partners. Super supporters who opt for the highest tier also get a 40-minute consultation with me to help plan a trip to Italy.

Give a gift subscription

Fashion & Accessories

For your stylish friend, a silk and cotton Monte Oliveto foulard by Officine 904 would make a very chic gift indeed. Designed in Tuscany and produced in Como, they come in a variety of vibrant colors with patterns inspired by the floors of churches and abbeys in the Val d’Orcia. Officine 904 also makes leather bags and enamel jewelry inspired by scarab beetles and other insects.

Another Tuscan brand that makes modern jewelry is Maman et Sophie. Each of their earrings is sold as a single piece, so you can mix and match them. They also make beautiful necklaces, rings, bracelets, and other products.

Home Decor

Left: photo courtesy of Micheluzzi Glass. Right: textiles at Atelier Giuditta Brozzetti

For the person on your list who wants to support young designers, a vase or set of glasses by Micheluzzi Glass would make an excellent gift. Stay tuned for my interview with Elena and Margherita Micheluzzi, the sisters behind this Venetian brand.

A table runner, cushion cover, or bookmark from Atelier Giuditta Brozzetti not only makes a beautiful gift, but also helps keep Perugia’s last remaining textile mill that still produces traditional Umbrian textiles by hand on antique looms alive.

Martina Vidal is one of the last remaining producers of handmade Burano lace, which was prized by royalty in the finest courts of Europe. Extremely exacting and time-consuming to make, Burano lace is a dying art that’s certainly worth supporting. The fourth generation owners of Martina Vidal have branched out to making a variety of high-quality textiles, including bed linens, table linens, and bath linens, as well as clothing.

Food & Drink

If you’re going to give someone an artisanal panettone, make sure it’s by Olivieri 1882. Run by sixth generation baker Nicola Olivieri, the bakery produces 21 different flavors of panettone and ships them to the U.S. within 48 hours. I recommend the apricot and salted caramel panettone.

The Parmesan typically found in American supermarkets is a far cry from authentic Parmigiano Reggiano made in Italy, which has a protected designation of origin. For the person on your list who won’t settle for anything but the real thing, Caseificio Montecoppe—a family-run dairy in Parma—has an online shop selling their Parmigiano Reggiano and accompaniments to pair with it. They even have some gift packs.

And if you know someone who would appreciate a taste of Capri, my friends at Giardino di Capri sell a number of products, including organic tomato sauce, olive oil, pickled vegetables, artisan pasta, and wine.

Experiences

For the person on your list who values experiences over material things, consider a gift card from Stellavision Travel. They’re available in any denomination you choose and can be applied to the cost of a group tour or private planning services. Just email zoe@stellavisiontravel.com and she’ll take care of the rest.

If you know someone planning a trip to Rome who would love to zip around the city on a Vespa, you can give them a themed tour by Scooteroma. Send an email to hello@scooteroma.com and tell them you’d like to gift a tour—and don’t forget, paid subscribers of the New Roman Times get 10% off Scooteroma tours using this discount code.

Other trusted tour companies that would be happy to help you give the gift of wonderful memories include ArcheoRunning (for the athletic person on your list who would enjoy a running tour of Rome), the Cheeky Chef (for the foodie who would love a market tour of Palermo), Roma Experience, and Imago Artis Travel, which both operate all over Italy.