From Venice in Italy with Love: Top Christmas gifts

Monica’s Top Italy Themed Christmas Gifts

Lots of unique and beautiful Italian Themed ideas for Christmas presents!

Top Christmas gifts: just one month to Christmas!!!! 

Thanksgiving, the American symbolic start to the holiday shopping season, is on today and it is that time of the year again: picking the right present!

Are you like me? Hating to have to run around like a mad person in the rush of last minute Christmas shopping, searching for the perfect gift for the ones you love?

Or did you simply run out of ideas and just wish you could be enjoying some good times in Italy?

Well, it’s never too early to start Christmas shopping. So get your Italian or Venice Christmas gift list ready now and you won’t have to worry about it later!

Here is a list of unique Top Christmas gifts lift available from all over the world, which can be purchased at a touch of a button, but with a unique theme: Italy and Venice.

Perfect gifts for all Italofiles out there!

The suggestions are divided by topics, i.e. food related gifts, travel gifts etc., to make it easier for you to pick the most suitable Xmas present!

So enjoy and I hope you will find the perfect gift you were looking for!

Italy & Venice Christmas Gifts for Cooks & Food Lovers

Cookbooks on Italian Food

 Sicily: Recipes from an Italian island  

This is the first book I would like to recommend. The book is written by Katie and Giancarlo Caldesi, the same authors of Venice: Recipes Lost and Found, a husband and wife team, owners of an Italian Cooking School in London. Giancarlo and Katie own also a few restaurants – Giancarlo is an amazing chef and Katie (as well as been a fantastic cook) is also a great food writer.  Their range of cooking books is growing every year!

Secrets From My Tuscan Kitchen

This is another delicious Italian themed cookbook that should not go amiss on your list. Written by Judy Witts Francini of Divina Cucina.  Judy and I have been friends on Facebook and Twitter for many years now. She is truly always a font of inspiration for me, supporting me through good and bad times!

Southern Italian Family Cooking: Simple, Healthy and Affordable Food from Italy’s Cucina Povera

The perfect book for your homemade cooking, by the lovely and fiery Carmela Sereno Heyes from Carmela’s Kitchen.  Carmela, having four gorgeous children, decided to write a book of ” Cucina Povera “, simply delicious recipes for everyday life, ideal for those people who do not have much time for cooking but who still wants to eat healthy! Perfect gift also for those just starting to move the first steps in cooking! Or you can pre-order Carmela’s new book, which is coming out in 2017 A Passion for Pasta.

Italian Street Food: Recipes From Italy’s Bars and Hidden Laneways

This is the last recipe book I would like to suggest. The book is by Paola Bacchia. In her book Paola explains how to prepare and enjoy a wide range of basic Italian street food, like authentic polpettine, arancini, stuffed cuttlefish, cannolis, and fritters, and perfect your gelato-making skills with original flavors such as lemon and basil or affogato and Aperol.

Cooking items from Italy

U-cook : Let U-Cook range of kitchen gadgets put efficiency, convenience and cheer into your cooking. They offer a wide assortment of helpful Italian designed kitchen utensils and tools for you to select. They are the sponsors of Cook In Venice too.

Abate Zanetti; Heir to the ancient glass institution in Murano Island in Venice, Abate Zanetti is the meeting point between the past and the future. The true celebration of Italian Craft they have been since 1862 the milestone for production and design of Murano glass artworks. You can choose from a wide range of vases, glasses, glassware, chandeliers, centerpieces, sculptures,

Photo By Pasta Presto

Pastamaker Imperia Pasta Presto; This pastamaker can be considered a symbol of two generations of machines for making pasta, combined into a single product. Do you remember when Grandma used to turn the handle, preparing the dough for lasagna? You can use the manual mode, with the crank, as well as the electric one, with an internal motor. Pastamaker Imperia Pasta Presto is fact available on the market in two different versions.

Food and Drinks from Italy

One of the best gifts ever is a nice large food hamper, above all if it comes full of Italian goodies!

Amazon with their Art of Appreciation Gift Baskets Grand Edition Gourmet Food and Snacks Gift Basket, Large offers a large selection of authentic olive oils, preserved truffles, home made pasta and much more, to tantalise and satisfy the most expert of all foodies and they delivery it straight to your door. And don’t forget to get the most typical Italian desserts like Panettone or Pandoro (the first one filled with sultanas and candied peel, the second one a bomb of calories made of butter and eggs), you can find some of the best on the market from Eataly.

Did you know that the first hot chocolate bars where located in San Marco in Venice?  From VizioVirtu, the hand made chocolate shop in Venice, you can get the best chocolates ever. You can order online a wide range of home made chocolates, like pralines with truffle pieces ground up in it or chocolates made with different spices, herbs and even edible flowers.

Or you could just opt for some of the most delicious wines from all over Italy.

Photo by Prosecco Toffoli

Who does not love Prosecco? But do you really know a good Prosecco from a not so good one?  Well, here in Veneto we do! So, my suggestion is to purchase your case of wine directly from the producers and get it shipped in your own country.  

I particularly love Prosecco Toffoli, one of the oldest producers of Prosecco from Refrontolo near Valdobbiadene. They offer a large selection of Brut, Dry and Extra Dry wines, as well as Cartizze and they sell directly online.

Photo by Great Vine Imports

If you are looking for other Italian wines, as well as Prosecco, Great Vine Imports specializes in Veneto wines, the region which produces the highest number of varieties in Italy and also the highest quantity. Pick some of the best Raboso or Refosco as well as some of the best Veneto wines on offer.

Italy Top Christmas Gifts for Travellers

Amalfi Coast Travel Essentials: From Positano to Minori and the Many Hidden Coves In Between

Gillian Mcguire, who I am proud to call a dear friend,  is an American expat who really should have been born in Italy, as far as I am concerned, cause she truly love this country just as much as any Italian!  She is based in Rome (you can also get her Rome for Expats, but she loves to spend her time at the beach and what better place than the Amalfi Coast! Her guide is a true insight and a real help to discover the real Italian local life!

Italy Explained: Italian Trains

This guide on how to navigate your way around the Italian train system is brought to you by Jessica Spiegel, who is a truly experienced Travel writer, who has been writing about Italy since 2007!  No need to worry when organising that train journey around the boot, Jessica covers it all!

Photo By Vin Garde Valise

For those wine lovers you know, what about a Wine travel luggage? This is the ultimate wine carrier that lets people travel confidently, secure in the knowledge that the wine and beverage bottles will reach their destination intact, no matter what. This one is offered by Vin Garde Valise.

What about a Food tour in an Italian city?

You can book a Cicchetti Food tour in Venice, a Trastevere tour in Rome or an Artisan Gelato Gourmet Stroll tour in Florence! Just get a gift certificate which can be redeemed later by the person to whom you donated the voucher to!

Italy Top Christmas Gifts: Pictures & Photos 

And for all lovers of photography, a must gift is the set of the best photographic books on Venice ever produced. Dream of Venice and Dream of Venice Architecture by JoAnn Locktov. Joanne teamed with two world famous photographers Charles Christopher and Riccardo de Cal, to create two of the best collections of photos of Venice I have ever seen – both books (one on the atmosphere of Venice, the other on the architecture of the city) are introduced by the inspired words of people from all over the world, all having one thing in common: the love for Venice.

PS: JoAnn and Riccardo will be in Venice on 7th December 2016 at the BookShop Venezia Studium near San Marco for a book-signing from 17.00-19.00. Don’t miss it!

Venice by TAMARA SREDOJEVIC

You can also purchase some nice framed photos and help to Save Venice, with the project run by Tamara Sredojevic of Gimmecamera (see all about her project here) . Every time you purchase one of her photos you will be giving support to #savingvenice project.

Photo By Plum Plum Creations

And for all lovers of art, what about an original etching from a young Venetian Artist? Check Plum Plum Creations website, find out about etching in Venice here and Arianna will send her artwork worldwide!

Italy Top Christmas Gifts: Jewellery

This is dedicated to all the ladies out there! Men, this is your occasion to finally give them the perfect gift for Christmas!

Photo By Eredi jovon

Start by visiting the online shop of the only cameo maker in Venice, Eredi Jovon, you can read all about the store and its story here: amazing coral cameos, all hand crafted in Venice.

Photo By Marisa Convento

Or you could give the ladies a unique piece of jewelry! Marisa Convento from Venetian Dreams creates unique pieces by using Venetian vintage sea beads and Murano Glass beads.  Discover the history of the Impiraresse, the bead stringers, on this post!

Photo By Ottica urbani

And what about for that very stylish lady or man in your life? What about a stunning pair of fashionable Italian made glasses? Ottica Urbani, based in Venice, offers a wide range of really refined eyeglass wear. 

And for the most original gift? A paper necklace or pair of earrings? Paperoowl, again based in Venice, designs and creates all their jewelry by using paper!

Here we are. I hope you liked my 2016 Top Christmas Gifts List. Buon Natale from Venice!