Italy From Home

It’s 4:30 a.m., and I’m awakened by my phone alarm clock. I’m in Trapani, a small town on Sicily’s western coast, waking up at this ungodly hour to catch a dreaded flight back to the U.S.

The biggest problems in this case are simple. It’s emotional because I never want to leave Italy (I spend more time in la dolce vita than in the U.S.), but perhaps even worse? There are no coffee shops open yet, and the Airbnb I’m in doesn’t have any coffee left. Then it hits me. Pocket Coffee! Ah, the beloved chocolate candy that is filled with actual espresso, a.k.a. the breakfast of champs for such a situation. I pop two in my mouth in hopes to get the slightest buzz, and it works, just long enough until I can get a real caffè doppio at the airport. “Why don’t we have this at home?” I think.

That leads to a quick search on Amazon, where, to my surprise, we do have Pocket Coffee at home. I immediately order some, and this leads down a rabbit hole. I grew up in an Italian enclave in New York, so there’s no shortage of red sauce joints and constantly being surrounded by people whose last names end with a vowel. But what about real Italy, with Italian-made products that are available in the U.S.? Do we actually have Italy at home?

Turns out, we do. Whether you want to avoid the ever-increasing flight prices or the herds of summer crowds, you can go to Italy without leaving your couch. Enjoy a proper Italian aperitivo at home with these Italian-made products.

Let’s start with the important stuff. Wine. There’s no shortage of excellent winemakers in the U.S., but if the goal is to have Italy at home, you’ve got to head to the Italian aisle of your favorite enoteca. 

I’ve had the great fortune of drinking wine all over Italy (it’s a tough life, but someone’s got to do it), and some regions simply reign superior for certain varietals. Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia make incredible white wine, whereas Tuscany and Piedmont are iconic for their reds for a reason. For an Italian night in, my suggestion is to choose a nice blend of options, with some classics and some more surprising choices.

For a red showstopper, Gianni Gagliardo Barolo DOCG 2020 from the Langhe, a UNESCO World Heritage protected valley in Piedmont, is not only a beautiful bottle, but has surprising notes of dry rose petals and eucalyptus. If you want a lighter red, Sicily’s Nero d’Avola has been a favorite of mine for years. I recently tried Tenuta Regaleali Lamuri Nero d’Avola Sicilia DOC 2022, and immediately said, “This is dangerously easy to drink.” With pleasant notes of cherry and thyme, take with that information what you will.

Maybe I’m more keen on “easy to drink red wines” because I’m simply just a sucker for white wine. While you can never go wrong with a white varieties from Alto Adige DOC, such as Pinot Grigio or Gewürztraminer, my southern Italian heart is fond of 2024 Ferreri Grillo from Sicily, which luckily is available stateside. On the subject of southern Italy, 2024 Varvaglione 12 e Mezzo Organic Bianco Puglia IGT, a citrus-forward lightly acidic sip, is my “sunshine wine.” The bottle is decked in florals, and anything related to Puglia helps drift my mind from the concrete jungle of NYC to the coastal towns along the Adriatic.

Italian rosés might be an afterthought, but Pasqua 11 Minutes Rose from Veneto subtly screams summer in a glass. And it goes without saying that there’s no way to have a proper Italian aperitivo with a bottle of La Marca Prosecco.

In Italy, food is always front and center, so if you want to make a real “Italian night” at home, you’ll need snacks. Lots of snacks. My favorite way to make an aperitivo spread is by mixing textures, colors, something sweet, something pickled, and have a plethora of condiments.

Even if it’s just an aperitivo plate for one, taralli, a circular cracker from Puglia, will always be on it. I sometimes stroll the aisles of Eataly in New York for therapeutic reasons, and in one of my recent sessions while there to pick up sundried tomatoes from Ligurian-based Olio Roi, I came across a bag of Cacio e Pepe Tarallini. I brought them upstate to my parents’ house only to see an empty bag on the counter hours after arriving. My mom demanded I restock pronto.

Truffles can be quite love/hate, and I have always been on team love. After traveling through Alba two years ago to truffle hunt with dogs, I don’t really look to try truffles from any region for nostalgia purposes alone. So, I placed an order with TartufLanghe, a truffle farm in Alba (that you can actually visit and schedule a truffle hunt) and stocked up on tons of truffle goodies; white truffle honey (which has real pieces of white truffle in it), black truffle caviar, a pistachio and truffle pesto (that was gone within three days of purchasing), truffle cashews and almonds, and a variety of truffle-flavored chips, with my favorite being the patatine di tartufo bianco. This exact order might as well have me on a monthly subscription. I don’t think I’ve ever been that excited to open a package in my life.

Pro-tip: add a slathering of that pistachio truffle pesto and some truffle chips to a sandwich for a little crunch and a lot of flavor. You’re welcome.

Wine and snacks are the fun part, but it’s time to get serious. There are some things that are non-negotiables when it comes to having Italy at home. I’m talking the staples: olive oil, balsamic vinegar, tagliere (meats and cheese), and, of course, pasta.

When I lived in Naples last year, there were only two pasta brands I religiously relied on: Rummo and La Molisana. La Molisana has been tough to find stateside, but whenever I see a box of Rummo at the store, it’s instantly in my cart. Some of the more fun shapes I’ve tried are Gnochetti Sardi, Mafaldotte, and Lumachine, but unfortunately, many of those are not available in the U.S. However, their mezzi rigatoni is my go-to for carbonara and Amatriciana, and I recently made a mean frutti di mare with Rummo’s spaghetti.

For olive oil, award-winning Laudemio Frescobaldi Olive Oil is made in Tuscany but luckily available stateside. I pretty much always have a bottle on deck and get a little sad as it nears empty. Balsamic vinegar is just as crucial. I’ve spent a lot of time in Emilia Romagna, the region famous for Balsamic Vinegar, and while I have a personal collection of different balsamic vinegars at home (with some of my favorites being from Acetaia Maria Luigia and Acetaia Villa San Donnino), Modena’s Acetaia Giusti is the world’s oldest balsamic producer, established in 1605, and ships to the U.S. through their designated U.S. online store.

One of my fondest memories is when I was down bad while on a trip in Sardinia. It felt illegal to be so miserable in such a beautiful place. What snapped me out of it, however, was a day on la spiaggia di Porto Giunco with tagliere. I paid 6 euros at a Sardinian gas station and got a spread of meats and cheeses while I watched the waves crash in. Tagliere is a staple all over Italy, and Ferrarini products allow you to recreate that experience at home. I love their Prosciutto di Parma PDO and Mortadella (which you can get with or without pistachios), and they even offer Parmigiano Reggiano PDO.

Pro-tip: cut the parm into cubes and drizzle with balsamic to eat it like the Italians do.

This is where we go back to fun. While you don’t need to go crazy on liqueurs, if you’re having some friends over and want to ensure there’s a nice mix of drinking options, an Italian liqueur allows guests to mix and match as they please. My must-haves are Campari, Select, and Aperol for a “spritz” counter, Amaro Lucano from Basilicata, and one or two types of vermouth, such as Martini Fiero Vermouth. Add in a spirit like Malfy Gin or Holiday Vodka (both from Piedmont), and you’ve got yourself a nice array of options for your guests. San Pellegrino is always helpful to have on hand to ensure you can make a proper spritz, and if you’re craving an espresso martini, Borghetti Espresso Liqueur is as good (and as Italian) as it gets.

While Italy is the birthplace of some of the world’s best designers, if you’re having Italy at home, you might want to be a little more comfortable than what you see on the runway. Monte’s Fine Foods, an American brand with Italian roots, has a tomato-on-the-vine hat that I’m pretty obsessed with. They also have comfortable yet stylish sweatshirts that make for the perfect garb for Italy at home.