Italian Gift Basket Ideas Made Easy

Welcome! This post may contain affiliate links which means I may earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you. You can read my disclosure for more details.

---

Italian Food Gift Basket Ideas That Don’t Cost a Fortune

In Italian culture, the giving of food is always appreciated and respected. Creating your own Italian food gift basket is not only creative, but also thoughtful. In this post, you will find numerous ideas to help turn your DIY gift basket into an impressive and beautiful masterpiece… at a fraction of the cost of purchasing one online.

Is Creating Your Own Italian Gift Basket Worth It?

Purchasing ready-made Italian gift baskets might be convenient, but it’s incredibly expensive. Instead of spending way too much money, use the 20+ Italian-themed gift basket ideas I’ve listed below to create your own budget-friendly yet high quality gift baskets.

I will give you ideas on what to include in each type of Italian basket and even ideas for non-food items that are perfect choices to include.

You don’t have to be a DIY master expert, I’m certainly not! But making these baskets are easy and can be customized however you like. I tell you where to find baskets or basket alternatives. I give you ideas for pastas, wine, snacks, and even dinner baskets.

If you’re not convinced you want to DIY it, check out prices online and if it seems pricey, come back here and start saving money. 🙂 However, if you’re determined to just purchase one, check out Amazon and come back if you change your mind.

What to Put in an Italian Gift Basket

The good news is there are a zillion “things” to put in a gift basket because the ideas are limitless. But when making an Italian gift basket, it can range from food items such as pasta, cookies, bread, sweets, wine and even coffee.

I give you specific tips below for how to make each of these.

Regardless of which type of basket you choose, you still need the basket, tissue paper, and ribbons/bows.  Remember that the Green, Red & White colors are the colors of the Italian flag.

Here are some must haves: 

1. The actual standard basket itself  (or use a rectangular gift Basket)
2. Red Italian Colander (as an alternative to a typical looking basket)
3. Tissue Paper (green, white and red)
4. Ribbons and Bows (green, white and red) 

I know you’ll create a wonderful basket that is unique and beautiful if you follow my ideas below.

Here are 20+ Ideas for an Italian Gift Basket

Below are over 20 ideas I’ve put together. I listed the type of basket and provide you with a list of items you can choose to include in them or not. Do not feel you have to add all these items, these are just ideas to get your creative juices flowing.

Make the baskets as large or as small as you want. If you have extra room in the basket, then crumple up some more tissue paper to fill in some of the empty space.

Pasta Gift Basket Ideas

A pasta gift basket DIY project is one of the most popular gifts to make. That’s because so many people love pasta and nothing says Italian like pasta.

Pasta comes in all sorts of shapes and sizes and have a great shelf life. Pasta is also inexpensive and odds are you have some boxes of it already in your pantry you can use.

Follow my DIY pasta gift basket ideas below and think about the various types of pasta and related food items you can include.

I also include some ideas that are non-food related but still perfect additions to your DIY pasta gift basket.

Pasta is something that I would recommend including in any Italian-style basket you want to make, it is universal, inexpensive, and can include gluten-free brands for those with sensitivities.

DIY Pasta Basket Ideas to Include

• Homemade pasta (that you made by hand)
• Homemade/fresh (that a company makes – you can usually find these at a specialty store that is an “Olive and Wine” type store. 
• Boxed pasta imported from Italy.   Dececco is a brand usually found in grocery stores.  It is typically more expensive than the average box of pasta, but the name speaks for itself for the high quality of product.  I would NOT recommend a cheap brand if you are trying to impress. 
• Use a combo of the above (boxed, fresh)
• Flavored pasta.  Specialty stores or online might include unique flavored pasta such as basil pasta, artichoke pasta, or even black squid pasta!
• Multiple types/shapes – Don’t let yourself be limited with just the traditional spaghetti pasta.  Include other items that are not as easy to find, like small shells, or bucatini which is like spaghetti, but is hollow in the center.   Be creative!
• Pasta sauce. Usually the pasta gift baskets you find online include only a single jar of sauce, typically a marinara sauce.  However, in your pasta themed gift why not include multiple types of sauce, such as Alfredo, pesto, and a marinara sauce. 

Pasta Gift Basket DIY Tips

• There aren’t really any tips to consider since a pasta gift basket DIY project is fairly straight forward. You can’t go wrong. I would just recommend choosing a combo of pasta shapes and sizes.  You won’t usually find a good selection with online baskets for a good price. 

Related Non-Food Pasta Basket Ideas to Include:

• Stainless steel manual pasta maker.  I’m not talking about expensive electric pasta machines, but the handheld ones that usually cost less than $30.  It makes a great addition and definitely speaks Italian!   
• Pasta spoons and strainer.  If you’re providing the pasta, you might as well provide the tools to cook with them!  There are some really creative, fun and pretty pasta ladles online. 

  I love this idea because they add a nice thoughtful touch and any serious Italian cook will not mind having multiple pasta utensils and strainers. 

Prefer to buy it ready-made and ready to ship? Here are some Italian baskets from Broadway Basketeers that have a huge selection.

Italian Wine Gift Baskets DIY

Italian wine and Italian food just always go with each other.  By using Italian wines you’re truly keeping to the theme of “Italian” rather than a standard wine basket.   

Wine Items to Include:

• Three wines in a basket would be an ideal number.  For small baskets one bottle will suffice, just make sure you know if they like red or white wine. 
• Red, white, pink or Marsala (not for cooking)

Wine Basket Items Tips to Consider:

• Obviously, make sure the recipient appreciates wine and drinks alcohol.   
• Wine can be expensive so this isn’t a very low-cost item.  With that said, wine gift baskets give a higher end appearance. 
• If you plan on shipping this item, I would recommend ordering it online if possible. Whether you’ll find an “Italian” wine gift basket, I am not sure. 

Related Non-Food Wine Items to Include: 

• Italian Wine bottle stopper – There are some really beautiful wine toppers you can buy online.   
• Wine opener – There are a number of wine openers that are elegant and suitable for gifting.  You can go with upscale packages or the traditional wine opener.  Either way, it’s a nice compliment to the bottles of wine.
• Italian wine map with regions – This is a cool addition even though it isn’t food, it is food related.   
• Wine glasses – This you can include for any price range.  Make sure the wine glasses are packaged securely so you don’t have to worry about breakage. 
• Subscription to Wine.com

Don’t forget, online baskets will not include the wine.

DIY Italian Antipasto Gift Baskets 

I love this gift basket idea because antipasto is soooo flexible and you can get as creative you want!  You can easily make this gift basket for vegetarians or meat lovers alike. 

Here are some ideas for you!

Plus, most if not all the items can be purchased for very little per item.  Making it an economical and yet impressive gift!  Many of the items can be bought at your local grocery store!

What to Include in an Antipasto Gift Basket:

• Meatless items:   Olives, hot peppers, garlic, artichokes, cheese, herbs, olive oil, wine vinegar
• Artisan Meats:  salami, pepperoni,  prosciutto, etc.

Antipasto Basket DIY Tips to Consider:

• Do not use straight Italian green olives.  You’ll want to ideally get the olives that are a mix of olives.  They will probably not be “Italian only” olives but olives nonetheless.  Italian black olives are common and usually in a marinade.  Also, kalamata olives are always a winner!
• Use jarred items so you don’t have to worry about refrigeration.   This is not an issue with the meat.  
• Remember with the cheese to use hard cheeses that don’t require refrigeration. You can see my list above of possible options. 
• This gift basket is great for any occasion and can be as small or as large as you want!

Related Antipasto Items to Include: 

• Olive oil and wine vinegar sets
• Packaged fresh pasta
• Antipasto bowls

DIY Italian Bread Gift Baskets

Who doesn’t love Italian bread?  This is a fun gift basket because you are able to be much more creative than you probably think.  That’s because it’s a bread theme with lots of items that go along with it.   

Types of Bread to Include:

• Foccacia
• Homemade (if you make your own)
• Italian crackers
• Breadsticks
• Olive oil (you may find a better bargain at your local grocery store)
• Fig spread

Bread Gift Basket DIY Tips

• Freshness is a consideration. For example, if you want to give fresh homemade bread, you’ll need to plan and schedule accordingly.  Now admittedly, I have frozen my own homemade baguettes and they were fine, but there isn’t anything like truly fresh bread!
• Food ingredients.  Be aware that some people are gluten and/or yeast intolerant.   Both of which are included in bread.   If this is the case, I’d recommend choosing a different gift basket type such as the anti-pasto one above. 

Related Non-Food Bread Basket Items to Include: 

• Bread baskets
• Bread knife
• Dipping bowls and sauce sets  

DIY Italian Meat and Sausage Gift Baskets

Right off the bat, I can pretty much tell you that it’s not a popular item to stock.  This type of gift basket is generally in my humble opinion, one that is synonymous with gift baskets for men.    

Types of Meat to include:

• Italian artisan meats (Sausage, Prosciutto, Pepperoni, Salami)

Meat and Sausage Basket DIY Tips to Consider

• Meats can quickly add up in price, so this isn’t your most low-cost type of Italian gift basket.  On the other hand, it’s easy to make and is always impressive, even for a small gift basket. 
• What we want to look for here is a brand or style that looks impressive, not cheap. 
• I recommend looking for meats that do not have sodium nitrates in the ingredient list.  Some brands have it and some don’t.  Nitrates (not the naturally occurring kind) are not healthy and more and more brands are starting to advertise nitrate-free ingredients. 

Meat-Related Food Items to Include

• Cheeses (you can check your local deli for pricing as well)
• Italian Crackers
• Wine
• Italian Meat Cookbooks

Italian Cooking & Food Gift Basket

This Italian basket is awesome because it’s so versatile.  It’s perfect for the friend or family member that loves to cook, especially Italian cooking.  Some people call this type of basket, The Italian Cook’s Gift Basket. 

Because it is so flexible, and not a specific theme, I think it’s best to create this basket yourself.  That way you can really customize it to match your friend’s interests and cooking level. 

Creative Basket Items to Include for the Cook

• Variety of food items such as pasta, meats, herbs, vegetables such as jarred artichokes.
• Pasta Utensils – As I mentioned in an earlier basket, people who love cooking don’t mind having multiple utensils in the kitchen.  So you can do a variety such as a strainer, garlic masher, cheese grater, you name it. 
• Pasta Bowl plates -These can be purchased by the set and come in a variety of styles and patterns.   These are not your average soup bowls.  They are shallow which makes them perfect for holding pasta.
• Italian Recipe books!  Yes, those who love to cook will appreciate any cookbook you send their way, especially Italian ones. 

Gift Basket Tips to Consider

• Consider their level of experience in the kitchen when choosing your items.  A recipe book for beginners would not be suitable for someone who can make roast lamb with rosemary with their eyes shut.   
• Consider their food preferences.  If you’re unsure how much they like meat for example, or if they are on a diet, or have a food intolerance, then choose more items that are kitchen products, not food. 
•  Add some humor!   There are lots of items that can be funny that are Italian themed.   Think beyond food. 

Complimentary Items for the Cook Gift Basket

• Italian themed aprons (some are very funny!)
• Italian themed mugs (lots of them are humorous)
• Italian Recipe books
• Kitchen Decor (salt shakers, wall clocks, wall decor, and other fun great ideas!)

DIY Italian Biscotti Gift Basket Ideas

For this basket, I’d recommend purchasing the biscotti online as there are a number of beautiful biscotti packages.  If you want to add to it, you can certainly do that too. 

If you want to create your own Biscotti gift basket, I’d include:

• Biscotti varieties (also as gift boxes)
• Italian Espresso/Coffee

Online Biscotti Gift Basket Purchase Tips to Consider

• Some of these biscotti items may not not ship Prime.  That means it takes longer than 2 days.  Mine took at least a week and arrived too late for the holiday.  So just make sure you’re timing it right. 
• Biscotti gift items don’t always come in a “basket” per se.  But many of the packaging I’ve seen look very classy and will do just fine as a gift wrap item from the supplier.  
• If you choose to make your own biscotti for a homemade gift, keep in mind biscotti take awhile to make.  Not that they are difficult by any means, but with the baking and rising and baking it isn’t a quick 30 minute recipe.  I have my own classic almond biscotti recipe here if you want to check it out.
• Another idea is to buy the biscotti online or at a local store and ship it to yourself.  Create your own basket with the biscotti you bought and add in some of the complimentary items I mention below. 
• One final point is that this actually makes a great smaller gift item that is suitable for work or friends. 

Related Not-Food Biscotti Items to Include

• Coffee or espresso mugs
• Coffee gift cards

Italian Dinner Gift Basket Ideas

Choosing to create an Italian dinner inside a gift basket is a wonderful idea because it’s very intuitive and everyone loves a pre-planned meal, so you can’t go wrong here.  You can make the dinner themed gift baskets as full or as simple as you’d like and of course include all Italian food items. 

I have to say if you decide to go DIY, it would be easy to beat the prices of the prepared baskets online.  I also have to say that the online dinner baskets just simply lack the creativity a DIY version could have.

For an Italian dinner gift basket, here are some Ideas to include:

• Pasta (imported from Italy or handmade dry pasta) 
• Pasta Jar Sauce 
• Block of Romano cheese
• Antipasto in a jar
• Artisan Italian Bread
• Biscotti
• Lemon bars
• Wine 

Some Points to Consider When Making a DIY Dinner Gift Basket

• What kind of meal is this?  Meaning, is it meant to be fancy, romantic, kid-friendly?  If kid-friendly, omit the wine and cheese and crackers most likely. 
• How large a meal is needed?  If you’re providing this gift to a friend who has 5 kids and a husband that loves to eat, you may want to include multiple jars of sauce and pasta to feed more people.  Perhaps even provide more than a single meal altogether!
• Consider food restrictions.  This could be gluten free, dairy free, or just overall dieting.   Pasta isn’t a food item known for reducing weight, and it’s not gluten free.   So you may want to consider including pasta varieties that might be a good substitute such as rice pasta or kamult pasta but still sticking with the pasta theme.   
• Remember, this item doesn’t have to be in a literal basket.  Large baskets aren’t always the cheapest, but creative counterparts can be!  

Related Non-Food Items to Include

• Italian themed pot holders
• Italian themed kitchen towels
• Italian themed coffee mugs

DIY Olive Oil Gift Baskets

An olive oil gift basket is easy to make and when purchasing online is still an excellent lower cost item. 

When you purchase online you’ll likely see not so much a basket, but rather a collection of olive oils most often with herbs or a bottle of balsamic or other vinegar such as red wine vinegar. 

To make your own however, you can get very creative!   

What to Include in an Olive Oil Gift Basket:

• Organic and First Cold Pressed – might be a few dollars more but well worth it!
• Include at least three bottles with a mix of flavors
• Bread
• Olives
• Balsamic Vinegar
• White/Red wine vinegar

Tips to Consider for a DIY Basket

• These can be made as large or as small as needed. 
• Make sure the olive oil is from Italy if you want to really hone in on the “Italian” theme here. 

Related Non-Food Items to Include

• Olive oil and vinegar dispensers/holders
• Olive oil dipping bowl sets

Prefer to go non-DIY and buy online? Visit here.

DIY Italian Coffee Gift Basket Idea

The Italians love their coffee, often referred to as espresso.  So  if it’s important for the Italian message to get through, go with espresso, otherwise it’s more just a regular coffee gift basket – which is fine but not necessarily Italian inspired. 

Most of the items can be purchased locally to make a coffee-themed gift basket. Be creative!

Coffee related items to include:

• Espresso
• Biscotti
• Recipe book for espresso recipes (latte, mocha, etc)

DIY Coffee Gift Basket Tips to Consider:

• Does the person you are giving this to prefer decaf or caffeinated? 
• Even if the person tends to grind their own coffee, espresso has a very fine grind that most standard coffee grinders don’t have a setting for.  So, it’s best to give ground espresso rather than whole bean (unless you know they have an espresso grinder). 

Complimentary Items

• Espresso cups
• Italian coffee mugs

DIY Dinner for Two Italian Gift Basket

This food gift basket is similar to the Italian Dinner gift basket but it’s made specifically for just two people.  So this can be a general everyday meal or it can  be a romantic dinner for two.   

I have a romantic dinner gift basket below, but the concepts are quite similar. This is perfect for people who just got married, had a baby, celebrating an anniversary or even bought a house!

Food Items to include:

• Pasta
• Pasta sauce
• Antipasto
• Italian Crackers
• Italian Cheese
• Italian wine
• Chocolate for dessert

Dinner for Two Food Basket Tips & Considerations 

• Stay away from garlic and onion (such as in jar sauce)
• Avoid spicy foods
• Do they drink alcohol? 
• Wine choices such as white or red
• Package in silver for 25 year anniversary and gold for 50 year anniversary

Complimentary Items

• Perrier water – this is always a nice classy touch
• Candle sticks for a romantic mood
• Italian music CD!

Italian Gift Baskets for Men

I found that searching for gift baskets specifically for men didn’t pull up much on Amazon.  I think that you’re better off making a DIY basket that includes meat and also a bunch of other cool items.   Check out my list below!

Items to include: 

• Italian artisan meats (Sausage,Prosciutto, Pepperoni, Salami)
• Bread
• Italian themed coffee mugs
• Recipe book for grilling

To Consider:

• Do they like to cook?  If not, include some pasta, sauce, soups.
• Add in items with some humor as you just can’t go wrong with funny items.

Complimentary Items

• Gadgets – men love gadgets!   Just go to Amazon for food gadgets and you’ll find a bunch of ideas right there!
• Italian grilling aprons or other culinary themed aprons (can be very humorous!)
• Italian T-shirts – these too can be found online and can bring loads of laughter!

Italian Gift Baskets for Women

If we’re going to have gift baskets for men then I’d say Italian gift baskets for women deserve a spot at the table too!  I do make a few changes for what to include. 

Items to include

• Handmade Pasta such as ravioli
• Pasta sauce
• Chocolates
• Wine
• Biscotti

To Consider:

• Is it to be a romantic item? If not, remove the wine and chocolates.
• Does she cook?  If not remove the apron I mention as a suggested item.
• Is she watching her weight?  If so, avoid adding too much pasta.
• If she’s into the keto diet, then add more meats such as prosciutto or sticks of salami.

Related Non-Food Items to Include

• If this is a romantic gift basket, add a piece of jewelry wrapped in a mug or other obvious place
• Fancy elegant mug or espresso cups
• Recipe book
• Italian themed apron
• Italian themed kitchen towels

DIY Healthy Fruit Gift Basket Idea

Okay, this isn’t Italian per se, however I had to include it because 1) it’s so much better to make your own than buy and 2) who doesn’t like healthy??

Healthy Food items to include:

• Fresh fruits such as apples, oranges, grapefruit, pears, pomegranates 
• Dry fruits (or a Dried Fruit Gift Basket)

To Consider: 

Creating your own fruit gift basket allows you to infuse your own creativity and most importantly control over the quality of fruit you include. 

• Include organic when possible
• Use Honeycrisp apples.  These are always crunchy and while they are expensive, it’s well worth ensuring your friend will enjoy a good crunchy apple instead of a mushy mealy one… yuck!   If Honeycrisp apples are not available, try Pink Ladys or Fuji.     
• The more baskets you do the more economical the gifts become as you can buy the fruits in bags and divide them up. 
• Pomegranates are used by Italians so make sure to include at least one or two of these!

Prefer to buy the entire food basket online?  Visit here.

DIY Gluten-Free or Other Food Sensitivities Food Basket

You won’t find much if any selection online in my opinion and you certainly won’t find places that customize the order for your specific needs… at least at a reasonable price.    So I recommend the make it yourself route.   

 

In this basket I’ll just mention some items that I think you could include: 

• Dried Fruit gift basket
• Artichoke pasta, or wheat free pastas (most don’t taste great so be careful here)
• Italian vegetarian Cookbooks
• Spiralizer – Instead of the larger ones, you can choose handheld ones to fit in your basket if space and cost is a factor.
• Kitchenware items
• Coffee

DIY “Oh no, I’m out of time” Gift Basket

Life happens.  Time passes us by or we’ve totally forgotten to order online in time!  So what do we do next??   

It’s easy!  I’ve included items below that can be easily purchased off the shelf at a local grocery store.  You can take the items home, wrap them up and package them nicely in a basket or other type of container. 

Items to Include for Last Minute Inclusion

• Pasta FROM ITALY (get imported everything if you can)
• Organic First cold pressed olive oil FROM Italy
• Balsamic vinegar – get a flavored one to make it more unique
• Jar of Italian FROM ITALY (San Marzano) sauce
• A block of Hard cheese with label removed (Romano is best)
• Cheese Grater – same reason as the garlic press below

Tips and Considerations 

• In this scenario, do not worry about a basket.  Use a gift bag or go to a discount store or craft store to see what they have.  
• Use lots of green, white and red colors for ribbons, bows, wrapping paper.  Even if you only have white wrapping paper, you can use green and red ribbons.  Remember, the Italian colors are Green, White, and Red. 
• Include a garlic press.  These are inexpensive and can be found in the gadget/kitchenware aisle at any grocery store.  So Italian!

Best Italian Food and Gift Basket Ideas by Occasion

Sometimes when we get the idea of creating or buying a food gift basket, we know what we want only by the occasion, but not really sure of what food items should be included. 

I put together some Italian gift basket ideas based on occasion or holiday.   These may be very similar to some of the gift baskets above.  

Italian Christmas Gift Baskets

Italian Christmas gift baskets are always popular when the Christmas holiday rolls around, but what kind do you get?  That’s why I included so many types above because there are just so many possibilities!  

If you search online for Christmas food and gift baskets you’ll find the standard combination of pasta, sauce, crackers, etc.  But what you won’t find is the original twist you can add by making it yourself. 

What to Include in a Christmas Basket

• Instead of completing this section, I’d suggest you first pick a basket above.   Whether pasta, biscotti, dinner for two, coffee or any of the others, start there.  However, I do have some important things for you to think about. 

What to Consider:

• Since this is specifically for Christmas time, use lots of red and green and you can add items that are not food related but appropriate for Christmas.   
• Consider the shipping costs.  If you’re making your own gift basket consider the costs to ship if you are actually shipping the item.   Think of ways to make the packaging lighter.   Instead of an actual wood wicker basket, try a gift bag that can fit in a gift box.   Decorate the box with Italian colors, green, white and red!   

Complimentary items to include: 

• Italian ornaments are a great Italian Christmas gift!   
• Italian themed pot holders
• Italian themed kitchen towels
• Italian music CDs!  Look for the holiday CDs from the Italian classics such as Dean Martin, Sinatra, and even more modern artists such as Andrea Bocelli or others. 
• Italian Christmas cookies!  These don’t have to always be biscotti; you can find other styles or include your own homemade cookies too. 

DIY Italian Wedding and Bridal Shower Gift Baskets

Gift baskets aren’t just for Christmas.  Wedding and bridal shower gift baskets are extremely popular and always impressive and thoughtful, even if purchased directly online. 

I’ll mention what I think should be included, but it pulls from the Dinner for Two package above for starters.  Speaking of starting, lets get started now!

Ideas for What to Include in a Wedding or Bridal Gift Basket

• Use either the Dinner for Two or the Italian Dinner Meal basket above. 
• Include a red and white wine bottle (unless you know they don’t drink alcohol).
• Two Italian wine glasses

Things to consider:

• Odds are that the wedding or bridal shower is local and you’ll be attending, so shipping won’t be a logistics restriction.
• Avoid perishable items such as fruit or chocolate items that might melt.  The reason why this is so important for a wedding or bridal gift is that they aren’t used right away.
• Unlike a birthday or holiday where the food item is unwrapped and consumed, a wedding gift isn’t opened (typically) until the bride and groom return from their honeymoon.   Keep in mind that not only will there be a time delay due to being on a honeymoon, your gift will be in the middle of moving boxes and whatever else the newlyweds are dealing with at the moment to get settled into their new life. 
• Avoid decor.  The reason I say this is that unless you know exactly what both their tastes are, it’s a risky gamble.  Plus, suppose it’s your sister getting married and you know her style, but what about the groom?  It’s best to avoid decorative items. 
• Italian colors are green, white and red so make sure to at least decorate the basket with those colors. 

Complimentary Gift Basket Items for the Bride and Groom:

• If you have the option to customize a gift go ahead and do it.  For example the wine glasses with their initials etched is very classy. 
• Italian themed coffee mugs  Mugs are easy to buy for people and if they are Italian, they’ll love them no matter the style or shape!
• Household cleaning items are always helpful from Lysol wipes to his and her towel sets. 
• Espresso cup set
• Items from their online registry.   You can include any kitchen or food related items from the registry in the gift basket! 

DIY Housewarming Gift Baskets

Moving into a new home is so exciting!  So with this basket, I recommend using the Italian Dinner Meal or the Dinner for Two gift baskets I mention above.  You can customize the basket with some ideas I mention below. 

To Include:

• Use the Dinner for Two or Italian Dinner Meal gift baskets which contact Italian food items.   I’ve included the list here:
• Pasta (imported from Italy or handmade dry pasta) 
• Pasta Jar Sauce 
• Block of Romano cheese
• Artisan Italian Bread
• Biscotti
• Lemon bars
• Wine 
• Antipasto
• Italian Crackers
• Italian Cheese
• Italian themed pot holders
• Italian themed kitchen towels
• Italian themed coffee mugs
• Italian music CD!

The new homeowners are exhausted, have lots of unpacking to do and odds are they’re still wondering where the heck their favorite garlic press is!  Instead of eating out, give them the option to cook at home with an easy to make meal already planned out by you!

For smaller budgets, I’ve included the items from the Olive Oil gift basket and the Biscotti basket below.  Any combination will work!

• Organic and First Cold Pressed Olive Oil – might be a few dollars more but well worth it!
• Bread
• Olives
• Balsamic Vinegar
• White/Red wine vinegar
• Olive oil and vinegar dispensers/holders
• Olive oil dipping bowl sets
• Biscotti varieties (also as gift boxes)
• Italian Espresso/Coffee
• Coffee or espresso mugs
• Coffee gift cards

What to Consider

• Avoid decor.   It’s their new home and they probably already have ideas on how they want to decorate.  That may also include repainting the walls, getting new furniture, changing the carpet and more.  So play it safe and avoid decor items. 
• One of the great things about ideas for housewarming gift baskets is that it can be easily adjusted to fit your budget.   

Complimentary Items to Include for the New Homeowners

• This part is easy.  Anything kitchenware related will be appreciated!  From a handheld cheese grater to the latest ergonomically designed garlic press, it will be a welcome and thoughtful gift. 
• Italian themed kitchen towels   I find that these are great items to include in a gift basket because you can never have too many of these!  Plus it’s an easy way to project the Italian theme we are looking for.  They are light weight too which makes it easier to include in the basket!

Italian Valentine’s Day Gift Basket Ideas DIY

Amore!  Love is in the air when Valentine’s day rolls around so what greater gift than a romantic Italian gift basket? Creating a valentine’s day gift basket can be as simple or as extravagant as you want.

Remember, big isn’t always better. Some of the most meaningful gifts (wedding rings) come in small packages!

Items to Include:

• Dinner for Two:
  • Pasta
  • Pasta sauce
  • Antipasto
  • Italian Crackers
  • Italian Cheese
  • Italian wine
  • Chocolate for dessert
  • Perrier water – this is always a nice classy touch
  • Candle sticks for a romantic mood
  • Italian music CD
• Two Wine Bottles (one red and one white)
• Romantic card

Considerations:

• Instead of using a regular basket, use a picnic basket!  
• Do not include food items with lots of garlic or onion (at least for that particular night)

Complimentary Valentines Day Items for Your DIY Basket

• Chocolates.  Even if the chocolate isn’t Italian, it still works in this case, especially ones in heart shaped boxes or high end chocolate.  In other words, not a bag of M&Ms!
• Italian Jewelry.   If the relationship is serious, or you want to take it to the next level, adding in a piece of jewelry nicely wrapped in a gift box is a nice idea.  
• Wrap the basket and items in colors such as pink and white.  Pink and red can both be synonymous with romance so incorporate those colors.  But remember, if you’re going with an Italian theme, make sure you have some of the green, white and red colors there too… even if just three bows on the outside of the packaging!

Italian Christmas Gift Basket Ideas for Your Boss and Co-Workers

Everyone (that I’ve ever met) enjoys Italian food.

So, if your boss, co-worker, assistants, secretaries or whoever are not Italian, it’s totally fine to present them with an Italian-themed gift basket.   

I’ve included some Italian gift basket ideas for your boss and co-workers that you can make specific for the type of co-worker you are wanting to give it to.  There are considerations to make when doing this DIY such as weight, size, appropriate and non-appropriate items, and keeping it professional. 

Gift Basket Ideas for your Boss

This is always a tricky situation that really is a hard one when it comes to deciding what to get your boss when Christmas comes around.  Is it a group gift from employees or just from you? 

The key here is to make sure it’s appropriate and not make assumptions that could put your reputation at risk.   If making a gift yourself, you must be careful to ensure the items are of good quality, it doesn’t look sloppy, and is professional looking.  

That’s why I personally do not recommend making a DIY gift basket for a boss, and instead order online.  

Types of Gift baskets to Order for a Boss at Christmas:

• Italian Food Gift Baskets
• Biscotti Gift Baskets
• Cheese Gift Baskets
• Corporate Gift Baskets

Considerations

• I already mentioned some considerations above.   It really comes down to determining what is appropriate.  How well do you know your boss? Does he or she appreciate humor?  Do you know their tastes in food? 
• And lastly, how much money are you willing to put towards the gift?   Creating a DIY gift basket is fun, but it can get expensive if you’re looking for an impressive and customized gift.   However, Italian gift baskets online don’t offer too much until you get into the very high prices and what you’re paying for at that point is just to make sure it isn’t a skimpy looking gift. 
• Sometimes for a corporate boss, you just have to bite the bullet and buy a nice Italian food basket that isn’t personalized because you don’t know him/her in that manner.  
• Never include alcohol unless it’s a group gift from all the employees.  

Prefer to just buy the whole basket online?  Visit here.

Gift Baskets for Co-workers

With Co-workers, gift baskets are fun and small gift baskets can totally fit the bill (figuratively and literally).  You can buy items that are sold in multiple quantities and then divide those items up between multiple baskets. 

Secondly, you don’t have to use baskets.  In this case, gift bags or a creative container may work perfectly!   Going overboard with a gift basket for a co-worker can cause other co-workers to look unfavorably on you by feeling left out.   Keep it simple and be fair with everyone. 

Items to include in your DIY Co-worker basket:

• Office supplies such as pencils, pens, notepads
• Italian Cheese
• Italian Crackers
• Biscotti for the season
• Italian coffee travel mug (if they are Italian)

Popular Brands, Gourmet and Imported Gift Baskets

DIY Italian gift baskets are loads of fun and creativity and customization that fits the purpose of the occasion.  However, sometimes we just want to order a high quality food gift basket online that also fits the purpose of the occasion.  

Check out the luxury Italian Gift Baskets online for this scenario!

If you enjoyed this post, you may also enjoy:

• Italian Gift Ideas for Men
• Italian Gift Ideas for Women
• 15 Kitchen Christmas Gift Ideas

DIY Italian Gift Basket Ideas are Endless

If you made it this far congratulations! As you can see making your own gift baskets is easy, fun and budget-friendly. I hope my ideas will help get your creative juices flowing and that you’ll end up with a wonderful DIY basket filled with thoughtful items and lots of love!

If you enjoyed this post, please sign up for my newsletter where I continue to share more information about Italian food, cooking, and kitchen tips.

Ciao!