Vinegar.
A ridiculously long post about vinegar recommendations crossed my feed just now. It prompted me to scan the comments for Italian ones and think about which ones I like, too. (Something from Modena, please.)
It also prompted me to brainstorm the other ideas below. What kinds of things would I, an Italy-loving person, like as a gift? And what would I give?
Italian Toiletries
Marvis toothpaste. The recognizable, branded yellow box of Acqua di Parma. Santa Maria Novella. Ortigia. There are so many fun and fragrant toiletry brands based in Italy. They have fun makeup brands, too.
Perfumes and Candles
Yes, perfumes and candles belong to the toiletries category above. But they are a special category unto themselves. Only give perfume to those you’re close to, like a spouse or your mom. But you know that.
Italy is all about perfumes. So many Italian designers have perfumes —Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana—and there are lots of alternative and specialty local scents (e.g., small-batch Tuscan lavender oil).
Mosaics, Ceramics, Tiles
Your mother-in-law will love the colorful Amalfitana scenes or Deruta patterns baked into these terracotta slabs. These are the kinds of things people—moms, aunts, cooks, your sister, Derek— admire but never buy for themselves. So surprise them with something small, decorative, and tasteful.
Serie A Gear
I was a Ronaldo fan only when he was on Juventus. But I didn’t even like him then. I knew he was just there to brand-build in another market. But I guess I can give him credit for helping spread the Serie A soccer fandom a bit further. As a result, Juventus gear—and, by extension, Serie A gear—is much easier to find online through Italian stores and US shops.
The best place to purchase Serie A and Italian National Team football gear is from the individual team stores (team links here). Some, but not all, of them may ship outside of Italy. Amazon’s Italy store has a ton of official Serie A and Serie B gear and will usually ship anywhere if you’re willing to pay the shipping costs.
By the way, the teams with the best-looking gear this year are SSC Napoli, with its Maradona homage jerseys; AS Roma, which did a cool sneaker collab with sponsor New Balance; Venezia FC, called “just a fashion brand” by other clubs; and Inter Milan, with its reptile-print kits.
Books
Ah, yes, the forever gift. Perfect for anyone. Doesn’t have to send a signal, it can just be a nice gesture.
Coffee table books are always cool—a photo book of Rome, an atlas, an art catalog. The better the acquaintance, the heftier you can go with the book. New ones are always coming out.
Italian Food and Beverage Gifts
And, that brings us back to vinegar. Red wine vinegars and balsamic vinegars can be thoughtful gifts to give the foodies in your life. Find them in gourmet groceries or even on Etsy.
Other Italian food gifts include coffee and espresso sets; wine, including wine sets, and prosecco; sausage; or even a whole wheel of cheese. Go crazy. Everyone loves food gifts, especially Italian food gifts.
P.S. The featured image is the thing I am coveting now: a Dolce and Gabbana design collab with SMEG toaster.
I mean, look at this thing. It’s incredible. SMEG makes great toasters. I have a beautiful, non-D&G SMEG toaster that I can’t currently use because the voltage is wrong. So I want one for this side of the pond, too.
