It’s time to put down the gift card and time to pick up a real gift.
A real, Italian-themed gift shows thoughtfulness and gratitude and it’s what you should be giving at your next occasion. But where can you find authentic Italian gifts without buying a plane ticket to Sicily? At Dagostino’s of course!
We offer multiple different gift boxes, all fully customizable for the loved ones in your life. Read further to learn what makes them perfect for your next special occasion.
- What kind of occasion would you give an Italian gift?
- What kind of gifts are typically given in Italy?
- What should go into an Italian gift box?
- What's the best gift from Italy?
- What makes Dagostino’s gift boxes special?
What kind of occasion would you give an Italian gift?
Italian gift boxes are most popular during the winter holiday season. In Italy, tradition is to give gifts on the 12th day of Christmas. This is also known as Epiphany, celebrating the Catholic story of the three wise men bearing gifts at the birth of Jesus.
They’re wonderful for Anniversaries or Valentines’ Day, because they encourage you to create and enjoy a meal with a loved one. You could even surprise someone who loves Italy for their birthday or as a “just because” gift.
They can make unique corporate gifts from employers wanting to show appreciation for their team. We’ve done the research, and we concluded that Italian gift boxes are perfect for any and all occasions. Trust us.
What kind of gifts are typically given in Italy?
Italian natives are taught to put a lot of consideration into gifts from a young age. When giving a gift they focus on the recipients’ tastes and interests. Gifts are expected at social events as an expression of gratitude for being invited, especially when invited into someone’s home.
If you are invited to someone's home for dinner or celebration, chocolates, pastries, wine, or specialty foods are typically given as the gift. To give someone a handmade dish as a gift is considered a labor of love and is highly appreciated in Italy.
What should go into an Italian gift box?
All the ingredients to make an Italian meal should go into a gift box. Pasta, sauce, garlic, salad toppings, appetizers, and something sweet for dessert are all perfect Italian gift ideas. Wine to compliment your ingredients could also be included.
Our gourmet gift baskets include our handmade pasta, fresh authentic sauce, and our house balsamic vinegar and olive oil. We also include Italian imports such as pesto, bread seasoning, garlic, and olive tapenade. For dessert, we include pistachio sweet cream and imported Italian chocolate.
It’s hard to find Italian goods that are authentic, so Dagostino’s makes it easy for you!
What's the best gift from Italy?
The best gifts from Italy are the ones you can share with others, like specialty food items. Balsamic Vinegar is one of the best specialty food items you can get from Italy. Balsamic is a dark and highly concentrated vinegar made from grape must. Balsamic vinegar has a very rich history in Italian culture. It’s first historical reference dates to 1046, where it was reportedly gifted to Emperor Enrico III of Franconia.
High quality balsamic vinegar is a universal ingredient you can add to any dish, mainly used to balance flavors with its intense acid taste. Another highly popular gift from Italy is marinated or pickled garlic. Pickled garlic can be used as an appetizer to garnish salads or charcuterie plates. Garlic was left to marinate in vinegar originally to preserve it, but instead the vinegar took the edge off the spiciness. The pickled garlic kept its flavor without overpowering a dish and became hugely popular in Italy. For entrees, we like to recommend the marinated and pickled garlic as an ingredient used in pasta sauce. Just chop the cloves and add into sauce or a vegetable sauté, it will add flavor and a bit of acid to your dish. You can even enjoy pickled garlic as a dessert when paired with fruit infused oils!
What makes Dagostino’s gift boxes special?
The most special items in our gift set is our fresh, handmade pasta and sauce. Our pasta is still made the old-fashioned way, in our pasta factory, using the “delicate” method developed centuries ago in Sicily. Small quantities of pasta are extruded through bronze, carefully looped over wooden rods, straightened, and then air-dried in wooden cellars. It’s as good as making it yourself at home, so it makes a great gift for the foodie in your family.
Dagostino pasta is handmade, all-natural, and preservative-free, producing the best tasting pasta available on the market today.
Dagostino tomato sauces are some of the most authentic sauces available outside of Italy. The sauces are handmade in small batches with a unique blend of fresh herbs, sea salt and spices. Another specialty you’ll find in a Dagostino gift box is our house Balsamic Vinegar and Olive Oil. Our traditional balsamic vinegar is aged for 12 years in Madina, Italy and is known for its bitter yet sweet flavor. Our extra virgin olive oil is first press cold-extracted from Sicilian olives that are hand-picked from October to December each year. Golden yellow in color with olive green tones, the scent of fresh olives and a fruity flavor with almond aftertaste. We like to put a few drops of our Balsamic into our House olive oil for a simple bread dip.
At Dagostino’s, we consider Italian food a love language. We think one of the best gifts you can give is sharing a meal with someone, which is why we centered our gift boxes around Italian cuisine.
Our Italian gift baskets and boxes are something we really take pride in. Every item in our gift box was chosen with careful consideration on what role it would play in a meal. As we said, we love sharing our authentic cuisine with anyone and everyone.
We hope our Italian Gift baskets and boxes excite your inner pasta maker, and that you consider sharing them with a loved one.