Gift Ideas for Italophiles: GVI Recommendations

Anytime during the year, you might have to find the perfect gift for the Italophile in your life. It might be for Christmas, an anniversary, wedding, birthday or to mark a special event. I thought it would be a great idea to suggest some of the coolest, classiest and tastiest gift ideas right here--and you don't have to travel to Italy to get them. It's as easy as logging on to your Amazon account.

In Italy, the type of glasses used a tavola for wine in homes and the neighborhood trattoria are simple, stemless tumblers. This set of 4 are simple and casual, just like the Italian lifestyle... just like the kind my Dad used to his uncle's home made wine from. 
--on Amazon.

Just about any Italophile in your life would appreciate this 3 pound wedge of iGourmet Parmigiano Reggiano --on AMAZON. If they are really into the King of Cheeses (and if you can afford it), treat them to this 86 pound wheel--just don't be shocked at the price!  --on AMAZON. 

Who doesn't love Nutella? Well, if your loved one is a real Nutella Nut, how about not one, but two 105 ounce buckets of the stuff? --on Amazon. 

Ok, so I like cheese--and while in Italy, I discovered a passion for caciocavallo, a nutty cousin of provolone. Here's a great deal on a 5 pound ball. Tie it to your donkey's back and you're ready for a long winter in the north pasture with your sheep!  --on AMAZON.

My wife Lisa loved her red Moka pot so much when I gave it to her last Christmas, that she's still using her old, stained silver one, with the shiny, new red one displayed proudly above our cooktop. It's a 6 cup size and makes the best espresso ever. --on Amazon.

This beautiful Consigli carving set with olive wood handles is what every Tuscan would love to carve his porchetta or wild boar roast. on AMAZON.

To go with the your Moka pot, perhaps the object of your affection would love this hand made, ceramic  espresso cup set from Deruta. --on AMAZON. 

When we visited the Solimene Ceramica factory in Vietri sul Mare on the Amalfi Coast, we fell in love with their ceramics. Here's a great pasta bowl in their olive design. --on AMAZON. 

Aged, imported Balsamic is hard to find... at a decent price. Most are in the $100-200 range for 3-4 ounces. Here's a good compromise, a Modena Balsamico in a 8.45 ounce bottle. It's not 20 year... but 12 years is pretty decent, especially at its low price, and will be way better than the supermarket variety. --on AMAZON.  

Every uomo when traveling in Italy needs to have a scarf to keep away those 3 mph breezes that Italians fear so much. (Mama to Giuseppe, "Tighten your scarf or you'll get sick!") A beautiful, supple wool from Biella, Italy tied in that special way.
--on AMAZON. 

Ok, I'll admit that when I was in Italy, I did enjoy the occasional street musicians playing tourist style accordion music as we had dinner in a ristorante, but there is more to authentic regional Italian music other than mandolins and Oh Solo Mio. This album gives you the feel of the small villages and remote cultures in Italia. If you're into folk or world music, you'll love it. Digital download or CD --On Amazon. 

For the chef on your list, a great olive wood cutting board made from large diameter olive trees. These are imported from Italy. --on Amazon. 

If you have a friend who loves Italian wines, then they should love this Italian made, carbon fiber sommalier's corkscrew. I bought in Italy and wouldn't open a bottle of Primativo or Barolo without it. A high quality item.  --on Amazon. 

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If you're fascinated by ancient Roman history, then this series is for you. It's one of the most historically accurate series about the lifestyle, politics, sexuality and culture of the Roman Empire. Not for the faint-hearted, this is a very blunt look at the vulgarity (as we now see it) and violent lives experienced by Roman elites, plebeians and slaves. My wife and I have binged watched this series... it's as addictive as the I Claudius series from years ago. Available streaming or as a boxed DVD set. Not for the kiddies. --on AMAZON.  

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If you love making your own pasta, try this imported ravioli maker. I Inherited my mother's ravioli pin and still remember her making ravioli for special occasions with it. --on AMAZON. 

This "chitarra" (guitar) isn't musical, you make tonnarelli pasta with it--a sort of square profiled spaghetti. Under $40 on AMAZON. 

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When it's time to take your next Grand Voyage to Italy, keep a record of your travels in this 6x8" Florentine leather journal. Keep photos, notes, sketches and tickets from museums and monuments you've visited. Think of it as an 18th century, analog way to blog.
--on Amazon.  

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While traveling on the Amalfi Coast, Lisa discovered Limoncello--that heavenly-hellish drink made from the skins of amazingly sweet Sfugo lemons. This version is a bit sweeter than others--more perfumed, too.  Keep one for yourself, give the rest to good friends. Remember to sip. It's powerful nectar. --on Amazon.

Another prize we brought back from Amalfi Coast's Vietri sul Mare was a hen version of this wine pitcher. This rooster is decorated in the same joyful, often childish style popular in southern Italy. Decant and pour your wine--the Italian way.
--on Amazon.

Italians celebrate with pizzelles for just about any holiday, especially Christmas and Easter, but they also appear at weddings. Pizzelles are great any time of year dusted with cocoa, sugar or cinnamon... you can even shape them into gelato cones or cups and cannoli tubes! --on Amazon.

One of the best changes I made to my at-home pizza making was to upgrade from a standard ceramic pizza stone to a baking steel. Steel transfers heat more efficiently than ceramic ever could--about 20 times faster. It also bakes more evenly. If you really want a great crust under your pizza, then a steel is the way to go--it's a great investment. Read more about my switch to a baking steel here: Making Pizza: My New Pizza Steel, an Answer to My Problems
--on Amazon.

--Jerry Finzi

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