It’s beginning to look a lot like the Ciao Bella Holiday Gift Guide! This year, we’re keeping it bold and brilliant with six handpicked Italy-based (and easy-to-acquire) gift ideas guaranteed to spark joy, brighten your holidays, and fill your stockings with a lot of auguri.
Bialetti Moka
I pretty much love anything by Bialetti and I am going on the assumption that everyone else does too. Forget all about the fancy digital coffee machines, and just go back to the basics with a mock, introduced in 1933 by Alfonso Bialetti to revolutionise the morning cuppa. I have a few of those iconic wasp-waist coffee pots but I’d like to introduce you to Alpina, Bialetti’s cutest. Italian colors, perfect for the holidays, and waring a traditional alpine hat.
Stocking Stuffers
I am so old school that my stock stuffers are literally stockings. I love knee high, striped socks and consider myself lucky to live in Italy where I walk by the Gallo shop almost every day. Gallo is another nearly-centurion pioneering Italian brand that upgraded the way everyone wore socks to artistry. Best known for their striped socks, they do break out into other patterns and other products. I, for instance, buy a Gallo bikini almost every year- depending on the pattern.
Dopo Sole. Those are the only two words you need to know when spending the summer in Italy. Dopo Sole refers to the after sun cream you put on to calm your skin (and accompanying your sun screen). I recently discovered that Carthusia, the historic Capri perfumer makes a lovely dopo sole, in packaging that reminds me of summer camp. I have to hold back from sipping it.
Tablecloth by La Double J
Milan’s Patron Saint of Patterns is JJ Martin, ad the magical world of La Double J, where prints, fabrics, and designs decorate dresses, clothing, and most importantly homewares! All I want for Christmas this year is a La Double J table cloth. And so should you. Not only does JJ love patterns, archived prints, and fabric heritage, and she loves Italy and Milan. The American journalist-turned-designer has been living in Italy for two decades (which she regales n her book Mamma Milano) and has honed everything she loves and learned into La Double J. You definitely want to know her story, and I was really lucky to have interviewed her in the very first season of my podcast.
Handmade Paper by Pineider
If there is something I like even more than a letter, it’s writing paper. Pineider paper sets have been coveted by princes and pirate kings the world over for more than two centuries. The 250+ year-old artisanal paper company makes the prettiest, softest and very best paper sets, and everyone who’s in Italy has had some kind of card (business, baptism, wedding) made here. Additionally, they have beautiful notebooks and other stationery items. Great for the analogue person in your life. List to the incredible story.
Ciao Bella Cake Dish by Bitossi
Hello, beautiful. Every year, I dream about Bitossi Ceramiche, a Tuscany ceramics and porcelain company that led by artistic director Aldo Lodi with a fabulous Rimini Bluee series, an iconic line created in the 1950s by Lodi of whimsical animals, vases, bowls et al in a sumptuous blue glaze. Bitossi pieces are amazing, but lately I’ve been thinking about their porcelain dishes.
Ciao Bella on your table. This is the perfect trinket, cake or cupcake dish, and the ultimate table setting. And I am having a hard time finding more, since this may be part of a limited edition. Fear not, Bitossi has so more amore for Italia with the Mamma Mia series, six Italy-disco inspired dishes that could be the next best thing.
Panettone Perfection
For years, I hated panettone until I tasted my way around the magical Milanese Christmas cake for an article in the Washington Post. To my surprise, I discovered that to call it fruit cake would be a tragedy. Panettone is a legend in light and sweet bread. Following my conversion, I’ve gone out of my way to try panettone everywhere, and discovered my favourites are made in the USA.
Last year, Nicola Olivieri that Olivieri 1882 was ready to go transatlantic and opened a US factory so that his award-winning Vicenza-area panettone could be made fresh for the US. After perfecting panettone for 130 years, he knows what he is doing. Nicola leads the latest generation of Olivieri and shares with me why his panettone never fail to wow.
Ok. The only non-Italian on my list is From Roy, but Chef Roy Shvartzapel’s fervent dedication to making the best panettone meant living and working in Italy for more than a decade just to learn the secrets of panettone making. Last year, I interviewed Roy for my podcast and was totally enchanted. Roy will stop at nothing to bring you panettone year round. I thought he was crazy, and then I had my first bite. Listen to the episode to learn more!
