Are you looking for last minute souvenirs and gifts to pick up before you head back from Italy? If you don’t have a lot of time, or a large budget, let me help!
I’ve been traveling back and forth to Italy on a yearly basis since 2012. These are my favorite gifts and souvenirs to pick up at the last minute, at grocery stores in Italy.
There’s something on this list for you, no matter:
- who you’re shopping for
- the occasion
- your budget
Let’s go shopping!
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Moka Pot
Moke pots are ideal gifts to buy at Italian supermarkets because they carry a ton of sizes at a fraction of the price that you will find abroad.
I like the 3-cup, 1-cup and 6-cup Moka pots. Learn how to use them in How To Make Coffee In A Moka Pot and try your hand at Caffè Corretto – Italy’s Easiest Coffee Cocktail.
Italian Ground Coffee
There is nothing better than Italian coffee. Bring a little taste of your favorite coffee beverage home with you with Italian ground coffee, which is very inexpensive at Italian supermarkets. My two favorite types are:
- Lavazza Qualità Oro (or Rosso) – 100% Arabica ground coffee for espresso
- Illy Classico – 100% Arabica ground coffee for espresso
Read my full guide to Italian coffee brands to get the full rundown on Italian coffee brands in Italy.
Bottarga
Bottarga is a great small food souvenir to pick up from Italian supermarkets that adds a ton of flavor to your food back home. It’s made from the roe of Italian tuna that is salted and dried at which point it can be used similarly to parmesan cheese, grated over pasta, beans, and rice.
Good To Know: Most bottarga comes vacuum packed, which is how you must purchase it to bring home.
Italian Cheese
Italian cheese is one of my favorite souvenirs to bring back from Italy. The only catch is that if you are buying it at an Italian grocery store, you need to be sure they can vacuum pack it for you or else you won’t be able to get it through customs abroad. You can only bring aged cheese back, not fresh cheese such as ricotta and mozzarella.
Consider the following cheeses which hold up well:
- Pecorino – sheep’s milk cheese, all kinds
- Parmigiano Reggiano – parmesan
- Scamorza – smoked cow’s milk cheese
Cheese Lovers: Learn the ins and outs of the most popular Italian cheese with my Complete Guide to Italian Cheese!
Taralli
Taralli are small, round crackers made with lots of olive oil and often flavored with herbs or spices, traditional of Puglia. The best are artisan made but nowadays, Italian supermarkets sell very good ones that hold up well over time.
Tip: Be sure to pack them well in a harder container, tin or packed well with a lot of padding or bubble wrap to prevent damage when traveling. Or, you can put them in your carry on for great travel snacks! For more Italian nibbles, check out Best Italian Supermarket Snacks and Italian Snacks – A Traveler’s Guide.
Italian Seasonings
Italian seasonings and flavors are some of the best souvenirs from supermarkets in Italy because they take up very little space and speak a lot to the culinary traditions of the peninsula. These are my favorite Italian seasonings that my friends and family always love:
Zafferano
Saffron is grown in Sardinia, Tuscany and Umbria and sold throughout Italian grocery stores in all 20 regions. You might not find local varieties but in my experience, what I find is always quite good and priced well.
Seasoned Salt
Pre-seasoned salt with various Italian herbs such as sage, rosemary, thyme and garlic is a great way to add flavor to meat and fish when cooking at home. Look for it in the spices aisle.
Nero di Seppia
Squid ink is sold in small packets at Italian grocery stores next to the seafood. It will keep for several months in the refrigerator and is a great Italian ingredient to make pasta and rice dishes.
Colatura di Alici
Colatura di alici is a type of Italian fish sauce from Calabria. You are most likely to find this in southern Italy.
Balsamic Vinegar
The most famous balsamic vinegar is from Modena in Emilia-Romagna and costs an arm and a leg. If you can’t get this (or don’t have the budget to), many Italian supermarkets offer a great value balsamic vinegar setting you back around €10-15.00.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Extra virgin olive oil is perhaps Italy’s most famous food souvenir to bring back from all 20 regions ranging significantly in price depending on the variety, certification and origin. Supermarkets usually carry pretty good varieties that come in several sizes, making it ideal for last minute souvenirs from Italy.
Opt for tins or cans instead of bottles to avoid spills and breakage in luggage. Don’t miss 15 Best Italian Olive Oils for my favorites!
Florence Travelers: Check out my Favorite Food Souvenirs from Florence.
Canned Goods
Italians make excellent canned goods that make great souvenirs from supermarkets in Italy. Choose from sauces, pickled vegetables, canned tuna and more including these favorites of mine:
- Aglione – garlic tomato sauce
- Pâté di carciofi – artichoke spread
- Pâté di olive – olive spread
- Pesto genovese
- Salsa di noci – walnut sauce
- Giardiniera – various pickled vegetables
- Carciofi sott’olio – artichokes packed in oil
- Capperi sotto sale – salt preserved capers
- Filetti di tonno con olio di oliva – canned whole tuna fillets packed in olive oil
Italian Mayonnaise
Italian Mayonnaise is simply the best. If you love mayo but have never tried the Italian version, this is a must have souvenir from Italian supermarkets. Calvé is Italy’s most popular brand and I don’t recommend anything but this!
Dried Porcini Mushrooms
Dried porcini mushrooms are an excellent last minute souvenir to pick up from Italian grocery stores because they take up very little space and weigh nothing. They can be added to any number of dishes including beef stews and soups.
Sun Dried Tomatoes
Just like porcini mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes make excellent lightweight, inexpensive souvenirs. You can either buy them packed in olive oil and canned or dried which you can rehydrate in water for sandwiches, salads and pasta dishes.
Truffle Goods
Truffle goods are a more luxury food souvenir to pick up at supermarkets in Italy in any form you desire (except fresh!). Look for canned or preserved truffle goods in these popular ways:
- Jarred/canned: either by themselves or mixed, chopped and preserved with other flavors.
- Preserved in oil: for more luxurious cooking adventures such as a rich risotto.
- In a pâté or spread: great for making crostini
- As truffle oil: can be used to drizzle on top of rice, pasta and with bread.
- In salt: salt flavored with truffle is Italy’s favorite finishing salt
- In pasta or rice: Look for dried pasta or rice flavored with dried truffle
Truffle Lovers: To learn all about truffles in Italy including where to try them, festivals and events, read Truffles in Italy.
Dried Beans
Dried beans don’t seem very exciting but they are quite important to the Italian diet and are close to any Italian’s heart. Every region in Italy grows and dries a different variety of local bean, many of which are small, native varieties found only locally. Pick up bags of dried beans (usually 300 or 500 gram packages) and bring them home to make soups, salads and serve as a side dish at picnics and grills.
Rice
To make authentic Italian risotto back home, it’s important to use certain varieties of rice, which are so much better here in Italy than they are abroad. Before you leave, check out these varieties at Italian grocery stores:
- Arborio
- Carnaroli
- Vialone Nano
- Baldo
Dried Pasta
Dried Pasta weighs nothing, making it one of the best souvenirs from supermarkets in Italy to pick up at the last minute. Choose whatever is local to the region you are visiting including some of these popular Italian pasta varieties.
Bigoli
Bigoli is a type of whole wheat spaghetti from Veneto, specifically in Venice that holds up well to bold flavors.
Orecchiette
Orecchiette pasta from Puglia is made from semolina flour and shaped into little ears, ideal for holding chunky pasta sauces. If you want to try making it fresh at home, check out Orecchiette Pasta Recipe.
Trofie
Trofie are small handmade corkscrew shaped pasta from Liguria typically served with basil pesto. You could also dress it with kale pesto.
Cavatelli
Cavatelli, meaning “little hollows”, is a small twisted shell shaped pasta from southern Italy made from semolina flour and water.
Tagliatelle and Pappardelle
Tagliatelle and Pappardelle are both egg ribbon pastas from Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany that are easy to find at any supermarket.
Lasagne
Dried lasagne sheets are a one of a kind pasta to bring back with you from Italy. It’s so much better than what you can get abroad!
For a full list of the most popular Italian pasta, check out Italian Pasta Brands – That We Actually Use in Italy and don’t forget to cook it al dente with our guide How To Cook Pasta Like an Italian.
Gianduia (Nutella)
Gianduia is Europe’s beloved hazelnut spread which you can find at almost every breakfast table in Italy. The most common brand is Nutella but my family prefers Novi, which is made with less sugar and more hazelnuts. Both make great souvenirs from supermarkets in Italy, as well as artisan varieties.
Italian Chocolate
Italian chocolate is a great souvenir or gift from supermarkets in Italy no matter who you are shopping for. Most Italian grocery stores stock some local specialties as well as major commercial brands that are popular throughout all of Italy. Look for these popular chocolate brands in any Italian supermarket:
Pocket Coffee
Commercially produced chocolates filled with a sweetened shot of espresso.
Modica Chocolate
A special type of grainy textured chocolate originally from Sicily.
Perugina Chocolates
One of Italy’s most popular chocolate brands with Baci, a bite-size hazelnut chocolate covered in dark chocolate, as their top seller.
Gianduiotto
One of Italy’s best chocolates, in my opinion. It’s a silky smooth chocolate made with hazelnut paste and either dark or milk chocolate.
Kinder
Kinder is a very popular chocolate, best for kids. There are so many to choose from so get a variety, including the famous Kinder Egg with a small surprise inside.
Chocolate Lovers: Don’t miss our comprehensive guide to The Most Popular Italian Chocolate – (Our Favorite Brands & Products).
Italian Candy
Italian candy is a great food souvenir from supermarkets in Italy if you have a sweet tooth or are shopping for kids. Most Italian grocery stores have major candy brands but you can also hunt out artisan candy as well.
Some of my favorite Italian candy is:
- Fallani candies from Tuscany
- Pastiglie Leone hard candies from Piedmont
- Galatine candies (commercial brand but very Italian)
For a full list of my Italian families favorite Italian candies, read The Most Popular Italian Candy – Five “Made in Italy” Brands That We Eat and Love!
Italian Cookies
Many packaged Italian cookies from supermarkets or small alimentari last a long time. Look for cookies in a tin or sturdy packaging. If they are packaged in a plastic bag or soft material, be sure to pack them well to avoid damage while traveling.
Choose cookies based on what is regional such as the most popular Italian cookie varieties:
Baci di Dama
Baci di Dama are small, round cookies made from two light hazelnut cookies glued together with chocolate-hazelnut spread.
Savoiardi
Savoiardi are Italian lady fingers most typically used to make authentic tiramisù and used to dip in mascarpone cream for dessert in Italy.
Canestrelli Biellesi
Canestrelli Biellesi is a sandwich cookie from Piedmont made from two, thin, chocolate wafer cookies stuffed with chocolate-hazelnut cream.
Cantuccini
Cantuccini are small, hard almond cookies from Prato in Tuscany meant to be eaten with Vin Santo to soften them up.
Buranelli
Buranelli are small butter cookies from Venice typically shaped into the letter “S” or a “O”.
Riccarelli
Ricciarelli are small gluten-free macaroon-like cookies from Siena made with almond paste, sugar, honey, and egg whites. They last for ages, just like Cantucccini.
Amaretti di Saronno
Amaretti di Saronno are a light almond cookie from Lombardy meant to last an eternity. Purchase them in large packages or individually wrapped in a multipack.
Ferratelle
Ferratelle are thin anise flavored wafer cookies from Abruzzo.
Mostaccioli
Mostaccioli are famous chocolate and almond cookies from southern Italy flavored with various warm spices like cinnamon and nutmeg.
Regional Wine
Italian grocery stores offer a very good selection of local wines. While they might not be niche or small producers, the quality is going to be top notch for the price you are paying. Select a regional wine that you have tried and loved on your trip including these famous Italian wines:
- Amarone della Valpolicella, Prosecco (Veneto)
- Gewürztraminer, Traminer (Trentino–Alto Adige)
- Barolo, Barbaresco, Moscato (Piedmont)
- Lambrusco (Emilia-Romagna)
- Franciacorta (Lombardy)
- Primitivo (Puglia)
- Marsala (Sicily)
- Chianti, Brunello, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano (Tuscany)
- Vermentino di Gallura (Sardinia)
- Cirò (Calabria)
- Verdicchio (Marche)
To learn more about wine in Italy, check out
Where To Drink Wine In Italy
Where To Buy Wine In Italy
Wines To Try In Tuscany – A Comprehensive Guide Written By A Local
Italian Digestives
Italian digestives are the finishing bookend to any Italian meal, popular throughout the entire Italian peninsula. Choose which kind of Italian digestive based on where you are, being sure to choose something local such as:
- Mirto – Myrtle-based herbal liquor said to help in digestion (Sardinia)
- Vin Santo – a sweet dessert wine served with cookies (Tuscany)
- Strega – a very popular herbal digestive (Campania)
- Grappa – a northern specialty but enjoyed throughout Italy. My favorite is grappa di miele, honey grappa, which is slightly sweeter.
- Sambuca – anise-based liquor (southern Italy)
- Limoncello – a sweet lemon liquor (southern Italy, specifically the Amalfi Coast); use it to make a limoncello spritz!
- Amaro – all slightly different, depending on the region. This is my personal favorite to have after dinner
- Campari – a bitter digestive used to make several classic Italian drinks such as the Negroni.
- Aperol – the most popular Italian digestivo from Veneto used to make Spritz.
Check out all of my gift and souvenir guides
Food Souvenirs from Supermarkets in Italy
Italian Food Gifts to Bring Back From Italy
Handpicked Gifts for Italian Food Lovers
Handpicked Italian Cooking Gifts
Italian Cookbooks to Gift
Food Souvenirs from Italy
Food Souvenirs & Gifts from Tuscany
Food Souvenirs & Gifts from Florence
Where to Buy Specialty Food Items in Florence
Food Souvenirs from Venice
Food Souvenirs from the Cinque Terre
Best Italian Olive Oils to Bring Home
