29 Gifts for the Friend Who’s Always Talking About Italy

There are few dishes that epitomize the spirit of Italy like a steaming bowl of pasta. And a high-quality machine for making such pasta—the fresh kind—is a thoughtful gift for the friend who lives for weekend cooking projects—especially those who get cold winters and are in need of post-holidays indoor activities. The Imperia Pasta Maker Machine comes tested and recommended by our friends at Epicurious, and is made in Italy. It’s made of shiny, good-looking stainless steel and is a manual model, operating via a hand crank with a wood grip. Whether you prefer tagliatelle or tortellini, the joy of working with fresh pasta dough is a wonder.

Chopping and mincing vegetables is one of the most tedious cooking prep tasks—but, naturally, the Italians have an answer to that in the mezzaluna (which translates to half-moon in their language). Rocking a sharp, heavy, curved blade back and forth over carrots, celery, garlic, or onions does the job quickly and easily. It's particularly helpful when making a soffrito, an Italian cooking base for soups, braises, and sauces. This one is made in Italy of stainless steel and has grippable wooden handles.

Every fridge has a crumbly tub of pre-grated Parmesan cheese—but nonnas looking down from heaven are gasping, “Dio mio!” at the sight of those bland spaghetti strands. The fix? Whipping out a microplane and a hunk of parmigiano-reggiano, stat. The Microplane Classic Series zester does the job as well as any. With its tiny but fierce jagged teeth, it smoothly and effortlessly transforms any hard cheese into what looks like a fluffy pile of fresh-fallen snow and what tastes like salty, sharp, melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness.

This one is a fun bonus ravioli stamp. We love it as an add-on to any kind of pasta or food gift, or as a stocking stuffer. It's made in Italy out of aluminum and comes in a 2-inch or 3-inch size.

Enough about pasta; let's let risotto have its time in the sun. Simple, hearty, delicious, and variable (mushroom, shrimp, or lemon can star), the creamy rice-based risotto deserves a spot on any Italy-lover's regular recipe rotation. Make that happen for them with the essential risotto tool: a wooden spoon hollowed by a hole in the center. This instrument allows the grains to pass through the center, keeping them distinct and preventing them from being broken and smushed—it also aerates the dish. This highly rated olive wood model is easy to procure at $13 on Amazon.

If you’ve spent time in Italy, you know that drip coffee is hardly a thing there. You’d be hard-pressed to find it, even in coffee shops that cater to Americans. (If you manage to find iced coffee, chances are it’s actually an Americano on ice or something similar). Espresso is the Italian way. This applies to the coffee made and sipped in Italian homes, too, where the Moka pot is a key appliance. The little aluminum coffeemaker sits on a stovetop's flame and uses pressurized steam to churn out three cups of espresso—one for you, one for your friend, and one for the house.

As far as Italian gifts go, food is a no-brainer. Skip the tricolor cookies this Christmas—any and all party hosts will be much better off with a panettone brought to them instead. This Milanese Christmas cake can be enjoyed around the clock: A wedge of the tall, fluffy, zesty orange treat studded with raisins and candied fruit satisfies for breakfast with espresso, as an afternoon snack, or for dessert with a digestivo like Amaretto. Ferrara Bakery in New York City’s Little Italy makes an excellent one and ships it nationwide.

For the activities loving, hands-on traveler in your life who doesn't have the chance to take an international trip next year, why not bring travel to them with an Italy-centric online Airbnb Experience session? This 60-minute Florence-based interior design webinar tours a historic private apartment in the Santa Croce neighborhood. Host Luciano Nicola will show guests how to utilize color and furniture to create desired moods and aesthetics in their own spaces. This class has 237 reviews and an average rating of 4.99 out of 5 stars.

Get ready because this one is dreamy—and an in-person Airbnb Experience this time. For an extra special gift, like an anniversary or a honeymoon activity, this Amalfi Coast snorkeling boat ride sounds like a total delight. The watercraft departs Positano in the morning and makes stops at beaches, inside sea caves, and along colorful coastal villages before returning around 4 p.m.. Prosecco, snacks, water, soda, and towels will also be aboard. This tour has an average of 5 stars and 426 reviews. Another option, for those traveling further south down the boot, is this Sicily boat tour that Condé Nast Traveler senior editor Megan Spurrell enjoyed.

If there’s a person in your life who is deep in trip-planning mode, the best gift you can give them is an unforgettable travel experience. In this case, a tour through Pompeii and the vineyards Vesuvius National Park, featuring horseback riding, a five-glass wine tastings, and volcano views. A decadent meal is included, too: Bruschetta, grilled and pickled vegetables, a spread of local cured meat, salty cake, pasta allo Scarpariello, and a dessert with sweet liquor are all on the menu. This Airbnb Experience makes a special gift for wine lovers in particular.

For the traveler who is serious about immersing themselves in the culture of Italy during their visit, or who already has a working understanding of Italian, help them get to the next level with a subscription to an Italian language learning program. Among the many options on the market, Rosetta Stone is one of the most popular, offering you the chance to learn through real-world scenarios and audio from native speakers.

When it comes to learning a new language, Babbel is favored for its strong and intuitive foundation in grammar, its wide-ranging resources including live online classes, and the flexibility to go at your own pace.

This Amazon bestseller is a great option for anyone trying to master the language, whether you're a beginner or just trying to brush up on your skills. Learn at your own pace with exercises and self-tests you can take from anywhere.

One lifestyle advantage that Italians have over Americans is their ability to see the big picture, to not sweat the small stuff, to just relax. We might as well make like them with spa products that promise to help us do just that. This thick body cream, rosa gardenia-scented, is best applied after bathing and sun exposure. It comes from Florence’s Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella, a pharmacy that was founded in 1612 and uses its very own secret formulas to this day, but is conveniently available via Amazon.

A subtle touch of Italy for the friend who loves decor can be found in this kaleidoscopic Murano glass candle available from Nordstrom. It comes in three different colors and scents. An oceanic blue with a salty sea scent, a fiery red and gold with a ginger scent, and a sunny yellow and pink with a spring flowers scent.

This hand-blown, borosilicate glass Italian Christmas ornament is our pick for the person who is impossible to shop for, like your friend who has everything or your sister-in-law with intimidatingly great taste. The smooth glass orbs sold by Goop come by way of a Milan-based design studio that collaborates with traditional artisans. They come in a rich sapphire blue and a crisp apple green color, and flow into a beautiful swirl at the top.

For your Italy-adoring writer friend with vintage style, you can do no wrong with this hard-cover notebook covered by a map of Italy, available on Redbubble. Can't you picture this sliding right into their distressed dark brown leather satchel after a class or meeting? It also comes in a spiral version.

Aerial shots, pleasingly neat geometric patterns in the form of pinwheel-like umbrellas, and brilliant blue hues: You know Gray Malin when you see him. In Italy, the king of aesthetics showcases the photographs he took during summer visits to the coast. The pictured regions are scattered along the border of the boot—the Amalfi Coast, Capri, Cinque Terre, Lake Como, Puglia, Sicily, Tuscany, and Portofino grace the glossy pages of this cheerful coffee table book. Sunbathers on the hot white rocks of Grotta della Poesia, boats bobbing in the azure waters of Portofino harbor, and sun-bleached clouds above the seaside cliffs of Capri will give your imagination all it needs to make it through winter. In the introduction, Malin even likens Italy to an ice cream cone in July. Whether or not you find that analogy silly, the bright and beachy images that follow are certainly as enticing as it gets.

Ever wonder about the origin of pesto? How about focaccia? You can thank Liguria, a crescent-shaped region in northwest Italy on the Mediterranean coastline, home to Cinque Terre and other bright and colorful fishing villages. This cookbook, Liguria: The Cookbook: Recipes from the Italian Riviera, tells the story of the region’s gastronomy. In its pages, find dishes like corzetti (a medallion-shaped stamped pasta), stuffed anchovies, and fritto misto.

Even for the most avid Italian wine lovers, the category is a difficult one to master. After all, Italy cultivates nearly 2,000 native grape varieties and is home to a multiplicity of wine-making regions, from Piedmonte to Sicily and everything in between. For the oenophile with a passion for Italian wine, Wine Atlas of Italy is a little-known text that is required reading. The book contains 57 maps of Italian winemaking regions, many made by the author himself because few existed at the time of publication. He also includes helpful (though sometimes outdated) travel intel on restaurants, hotels, wine shops, and local sights.