Bye,I’m headed to Calabria tomorrow…wanna come?
my mamma in my father’s Fiat 500
I’m looking forward to spending some time with family,taking lots of pictures,eating some great food and going for long walks through our family olive grove and the Calabrian countryside looking for wild asparagus (check out the video from last year)…I’ll be sure to bring back some of my favorite treats too!
I’m also going to put a package together for a lucky Italyville reader with a few special items from Italy when I return. This is what you need to do for a chance to win.
- Comment on this post with an item that you like to bring home from Italy,or if you’ve never been,an item that you would like to bring back if you were to go.
- Retweet this post and/or follow Italyville on facebook or twitter by clicking on the links in the right sidebar.
I’ll choose a random winner when I get back. Ciao for now! (for US readers only.. sorry but shipping is expensive! I promise to do another giveaway soon)
PS –Happy San Giuseppe to you all you Giuseppes,Joes,Peppes,Peppinos and Peppones!
Joe –like you,we always try to smuggle stuff back from Italy. I remember once a sniffer dog was all over my hand luggage while I was waiting for my suitcase to come through and I was terrified they’d find the guanciale,prosciutto san daniele and salami I had in there. Gingerly opening it I produced a bruised banana I’d kept from the in-flight meal,which satisfied the customs agent even though the dog kept barking. phew! (i didn’t know that these things aren’t illegal to bring back) But right now,if I visited Italy I’d want Kinder bars,a couple of bricks of the most expensive kind of Lavazza,Hollywood chewing gum (I don’t really like it,but chewing it reminds me of Italy),some green Luccan olive oil and a bag or more of a kind of pasta shape I haven’t seen before,preferably colored at least two colors. We often bring back weird things like lavender cut from roadside hedges and the occasional stolen menu,but i don’t encourage theft! Have a great trip!
What to bring home? Oh so many choices:limoncello,pecorino cheese,olive oil,wine,and if only I could figure out a way to bring in some great salami!
Love your site and would LOVE to get a little something from Calabria!
I have spent a lot of time in Northern Italy (mainly Firenze) but I have heard such beautiful and amazing things about Calabria.
I would love anything that truly represents the Calabreses!! Heck,I’d even be happy with pictures! Wish I could jump in your suitcase….have fun ~ I hope one of these days I will get to visit Calabria as well.
Buon Viaggio!!
A presto,
Kristin
e buon onomastico!!
Answer:yes,I want to go to Calabria. Hoping you find lots of asparagus.
I would love to go to Calabria with you,but,if that’s not possible,a little olive oil,a few dried ceps or some dark chocolate-covered citrus peel might keep me going for a bit;-). Buon viaggio!
I just LOVE that photo of your mom in the cinquecento. That is precious!!
Have a great trip to Italy. I always like to bring back some parmigiano and some dried porcini,and once in a while when I get the nerve,a few good sausages. In Calabria,as you know,they make GREAT soppressata. That’s what I’m hankering for (next to your homemade,that is). Can’t wait to hear about the eating adventures when you return.
Joe,
The one item I can’t seem to find here in the States is Alchermes. It is an essential ingredient for an authentic Zuppa Inglese. (at least according to Giuliano Bugialli).
Buon viaggio!
Happy St. Joseph’s Day. Enjoy your holiday and I really look forward to reading about it when you return. Ciao.
Hi Joe,Have a wonderful trip,I know you will! If I went to Italy I would search for handmade corzetti stamps that are used for cutting pasta disc’s,and a bottle of Limoncello of course!
Hope you have a great time. It’s very nearly asparagus time here,but you may be a little ahead down there –happy hunting &Happy St. Joseph’s Day.
Hope you have a great time in Calabria and make some videos to share with us!
One thing I like to bring back is espresso in a decorative can. The different coffee brands sometimes have promotional cans with really attractive designs that don’t cost much more than the regular cans. Then I can re-use them for a long time. To me they are more convenient than a fancy coffee canister.
Have a great trip!
What *don’t* I bring back?
My suitcase is more like a grocery bag than luggage! Good quality pecorino stagionato,tubes of concentrato di pomodoro,bags of taralli,peperoni cruschi,vino,chocolates,and Pocket Coffee,to name just a few of the items that get stuffed into my bags.
Hope you find some wild asparagus. At least you’ll have a great time hunting it.
Easy question. Lardo. I received the book La Cucina for Christmas and there are so many recipes that call for Lardo! If you can’t bring some back could you take a photo of it for me? Have a wonderful time and enjoy all the food.
My 86 year old father is from Cimina and has not been back to Italy since he was 15 years old,so I would ask that you bring something that would be representative of the area for him. A friend broght back a small olive branch once for him and he loved it. And of course pictures of his hometown.
I’m Italian and never been to Italy,i would bring back anything and everthing i could get my hands on,espically PASTRIES……
I always ask people to try and look for any italian toy that speaks or fun games so we can ad it to our italian playroom in our school.
A little something for me –Acqua di Parma,an Italian perfume infused with lovely violets,anything made out of leather,and if I could I would also request some Speck- the Italian salami that goes in spaghetti carbonara –my favorite!
Buon viaggio! I am now in Lombardia since two weeks ago until mid-may. Would love to get to my father’s homeland of Calabria again!.
All the food and treats are great to bring back. One thing I love but didn’t see mentioned is a kitchen hand soap called Chef Lavamani,which is great for removing the garlic/onion smell from one’s hands after cooking. Love the taste,love the scent as it cooks,the smell on my hands,not so much.
Have a great time in Calabria! I wave to you from here in Brescia
Imani
Haha- I always bring back the weirdest stuff- Felce Azzuro body wash. My cousins make fun of me because this soap is for “old people”but it always makes it way back to America with me,so I can enjoy the scent of Italy every morning in the shower!
Have a great trip!
Hope you have a great time,Joe! Shoot me a message if you’ll have a chance to meet up. Buon Viaggio!
I never been in Calabria. But every year i go to the south of italy (Molise) to my family and the beach.
First let me say how envious I am. Now for what I would like to bring back! Parmigiano Cheese,a great olive oil,a decadent balsamic vinegar and a hummy Italian!
Hope you have a wonderful time!
What an awesome giveaway!! I’d be happy with just about anything from Italy. You can’t imagine the stuff we took home (or at least tried to) on our last vist. Pasta,cheese,salami,cookies,tarrali,chocolate,empty nutella glasses,kitchen towels,various plants,tomato,basil,peppers.
Have a great trip!!!
Buon Viaggio,Joe e tanti auguri (x san giuseppe)…
What I miss from Italy is the Barilla Emiliane tortellini con prosciutto crudo!
Hope all is well in bella Calabria.
I love espresso in typical Italian cans,espresso cups with different designs,espresso pots –they have such gorgeous ones –and I love Salamoia Bolognese for cooking! Have a fantastic trip!
Bonnie(valentinoswife)
My dream is to go to Italy,I’ve never been. I feel as though my heart is there! If I can think of a few special items to be brought back for me they would be,espresso,prosciutto,olive oil and a big slab of parmigiano. I hope you have a great time on your trip!
I could almost taste “le macharune alla chitarra con sperni”In Abruzzo that’s what we would be making right now!!
Have a great trip
I can’t wait to get there some day! If you want to smuggle something back for me,go to Ciro Marina,and find my father’s family vineyard. I want some Librandi wine and olive oil.
But if you don’t,I hope you have a fantastic time while you are there!