Italian Goodies in the U.S.

I don't know where you live but in Seattle I would go for olive oil to Italian store De Laurenti in Pike Place Market.

The olive oil was probably fresher, unfiltered, and unpasteurized. We buy oil at an Italian grocery in the Chicago area, bigger variety including some high end ones, however our everyday oil we buy in 2 liter cans.

We have owned a number of espresso makers over the years, finally biting the bullet and getting a Breville. It stores the whole beans, grinds a measured amount, good pressure for brewing and good volume for frothing. It ran about $500, but we use it daily and it does a great job. A buy if you are serious, otherwise get a cheap one to play around with.

A high end grocery or Italian market will have the real deal in Italian olive oil - sometimes they will do tastings as well.

If hubby wants an espresso machine be prepared to shell out some bucks - good ones are not cheap.

We once carried a bag from the Baccarat Crystal store in France for the last two weeks of a trip!

The key on the olive oil is freshness. What they serve in Italy should be that season's pressing. If it gets older, they bottle it and send it to the US. ;-)

Di Laurenti should have some that is fresh---ask. Or try PFI in the International District. Fun place to shop.

Espresso---my husband loves his Nespresso machine! It is Swiss, not Italian, but makes very good espresso and is much less expensive and easier to use than one of the fancy Italian ones.

I can't help with the Venetian glass. I would be afraid to orderit from Italy due to breakage. Maybe there are US vendors someone can recommend.

Edit: sorry,,thought you live in Seatlle based on the post above. Now I see you live near MSN---is that Minneapolis?

You need to goggle imported olive oil and read some of the evaluations. There was a recent report that the vast majority of imported olive oil to the US is altered especially from Italy. Spain is your better bet but CA is much better.

Lauren,

I can't help too much with the Venetian glass subject but keep in mind that much of the Venetian glass in Venice is imported copies so buying off the internet will also be sketchy.

As for Italian food goods, check out Eataly (https://www.eataly.com/us_en/#). If you are lucky enough to live in New York City, Boston or Chicago, drop in savor a little (big) bit of Italy. Otherwise, you'll have to be satisfied with ordering online from Eataly. By the way, I've shopped at Eataly in Chicago, Rome and Florence and the products you get in the USA are the same as in Italy.

Mass-market olive oil in the USA, even labeled as "Italian", is actually made from olives/oil from any number of Mediterranean countries and only bottled in Italy (just read the fine print on the label). To make matters worse, there is quite a business of adulterating olive oil and selling it as "virgin" when in all actuality it is fake. Googling olive oil crime might just make you stop buying mass-market oil... That's why the olive oil you consumed in Italy tastes so much differently. However, if you're willing to pay the price, you can get some of the authentic stuff from outlets like Eataly.

As for an espresso machine, I own a Jura Capresso automatic machine and I honestly don't know how I ever lived without it. One press of the button and it grinds, presses and pressure-brews the most amazing espresso ever. I've had mine for years and they are very robust and reliable.

My husband bought an espresso machine after our last trip to Italy too! We have a Mr. Coffee Café Barista because we like the added ability to froth milk for lattes. At $200 it was middle of the road and has been a good buy for us.

On our first trip Venice was our first stop too and we bought several smaller items, but they were still heavy enough that we noticed the added weight. On our second trip Venice was our last stop and we bought a smaller light fixture that is now over our kitchen sink. I am still amazed that we got it home in one piece! I remember being in line for security at the Venice airport and someone dropped and broke their glass trinket as they were having to shuffle some things around which would be so frustrating. The website below is about how to find authentic glass and has some pages with links to companies, many of which have a website. I would start looking there.

http://www.muranoglass.com/en/

Thanks, everyone!

Regarding to glass ...
I tried looking at a map of Venice to find the lady's shop again to see if she had a website, and I can't find it! The shop was in San Polo, and that's all I remember LOL. She was a local and was very knowledgeable about the glass she had available, where it came from, how she ships it to the U.S., etc. We joked with her about the "made in China" glass we'd seen at other souvenir shops. The small glass pieces in her store were around 70 Euros a piece. We trusted that she was legit. But that's the concern about online retailers ... how do you know? JenC, I will check out the muranoglass.com website and see what I can find!

Regarding the olive oil ...
I'm a home cook and a baker, but I'm not well versed at all with olive oil! I've heard about the olive oil crime issues before, but I never really realized how different the texture/consistency were between the oil available in the U.S. vs. Italy. I will check out the places everyone has named! I'm in Madison, WI, but only a few hours away from Chicago. We can always do a weekend trip to Chicago to check out some specialty stores there. I assume I can always call that store and/or the Seattle store and see if they can ship something to me.

Regarding the espresso machine ...
My husband had pretty much decided on the Breville, but it looks like we need to consider all options since you guys have a lot of advice! :-D

Thanks again!

I get Sicilian olive oil from my local Trader Joes and it's delicious. I would also argue that fresh California olive oil is just as good as "real" Italian stuff. Jura (Swiss brand) makes excellent espresso machines. I think you'd be surprised how globalization has brought so many things within reach...you don't need to go to Italy to find good quality stuff right in the States. I think once your memories of the trip wear off a bit, you'll find very good substitutes without having to go too much out of your way. Check out Eataly Italian emporium next time you're in Chicago - interesting (although pricy) stuff!

I love glass and have collected it for decades (though have not made a study of it and am not an expert). You might get lucky at a quality craft gallery in your area (or a museum shop), though it's possible that what you find from Italy might be the larger/more expensive pieces. You'll certainly find some great stuff from the US, though!

Lauren H,

Your profile doesn't indicate where you live, but you should be able to find an Italian store somewhere in your area where you can buy genuine Italian products.

Regarding your questions.....

1. Venetian glass - Do a search on the internet to find importers of glass products. Here's one example - http://www.yourmurano.com/us_en?gclid=CIGVmPXWs9MCFQKXfgodlpILaw
2. Olive Oil - look for Italian stores in your area or do an internet search.
3. Espresso machines - again, do an internet search to find local vendors in your area. A lot of big stores (Best Buy or others) carry Espresso machines, although they may not all be the same as the Italian machines. A good quality Italian Espresso machine will cost a small fortune, so be sure to budget accordingly.

It's very easy to find the latter two products here, as we have a number of stores that import Italian products (owned by Italians). The local Italian Deli here has a variety of grades of Extra Virgin Olive Oil. There's also a specialty store here that sells all kinds of Olive Oils and Vinegars in various price levels - https://oliveusoils.com/ . For Espresso machines, one of our local coffee supply firms stocks a wide variety of machines - http://www.voetscoffee.com/voets_coffee_vernon_bc_barrista_support_espresso_equipment.html . There's also a large Italian products importer in this area so just about anything "Italian" is available.

While the stores in this area won't do you any good, I mentioned that because if you do a bit of searching in your home area, you will probably find that there are lots of places in the vicinity to buy Italian products. With the Espresso machine, I'd suggest buying locally if possible rather than online, in case you have any problems with it.

Good luck!

Try Eaty or Dean and DeLuca for Italian products.

Dear Lauren

Glad to hear you are going with the Breville. We love our machine and although pricy, it is worth every cent. It grinds the beans and we can almost pretend we are back in Italy at some of our favorite cafes. We also have found that the Italian supermarkets in the larger cities have the best selection of olive oils. We used Pennsylvania Macaroni from Pittsburgh when our daughter lived there and are contemplating a long drive just to go get some goodies! They also have an online store that is helpful.

Hey Lauren,

Check out Chihuly glass in Washington. There was an exhibit of his work (absolutely gorgeous!!!!!) near my home in Pennsylvania and during the tour, the guide told us that this guy has poached a lot of glass artists from Venice and there are more of them in Washington now. True or not, I am not sure, but I guarantee that you will love the stuff. Let me know what you think!

Try the Nespresso Virtuoline machine. It will do espresso as well as a full cup of coffee with crema. It may not be the same as a $500 grind-your-beans espresso machine, but it makes delicious coffee and espresso and it's so easy to use. No cleaning.
We bought the Breville grind beans fresh machine for making a full pot of coffee every day (not espresso), but for a quick coffee or espresso, the Nespresso can't be beat. Check it out, at least. You can get a demo and a sample at Sur la Table.

My favorite olive oil that is fairly available (amazon) is Laudemio. Its pretty spendy, but worth it. I always have at least five differnt kinds of olive oil open ; some for cooking and then various tasting oils. Luademio falls in the latter category at $40 a bottle.

If you do get to Chicago, make sure to visit Eataly! They will certainly have options for you.

Lauren, update your profile to include where you live so people can give you specific suggestions.

what is REAL olive oil? ... https://www.oliveoiltimes.com/olive-oil-making-and-milling/five-years-later-uc-davis-report-still-sends-shockwaves/48223

Since you are close to the Chicago area, I can recommend a chain, several locations, Valli's Produce: http://www.valliproduce.com/ started out as an Italian grocery, now more international. Good array of olive oils, but lots of cheeses, meats, canned items, fresh produce...and if you re in need of a cannoli or some other baked items, this is the place. We usually go to the Arlington Heights location.

Eataly in Chicago has most things you need, not cheap, but sure bet.
Trader Joe's has some good Italian olive oil, you don't need to travel to Chicago for that.
Espresso machines can be found online. Look at the ratings by Italians on www.amazon.it then find the same brand on the American Amazon (.com).
Then go to some Italian restaurants and cafes in Madison and try to meet the local Italian expatriates' community. They know where to get stuff. The expatriate network is always a great source of info for us expatriates.

Glad to hear you are going with the Breville

You certainly can't go wrong with Breville. I have a number of their small appliances, and I love all of them. Expensive - but worth the price.

I'm not a straight espresso drinker (love cappuccino!) but did a little digging around awhile back to see what Italians use at home? It appeared that almost none of them use a "machine" and that moka pots are the standard.

It would be interesting to hear from our current and former residents? Yes? No?

After living in Italy, I have to have the real thing. I buy my olive oil either from Dall'Uva (the owner is a friend of mine) or Poggio-Etrusco. Not cheap but so worth it!

I swear by my Nespresso, too!

Moka pots are all I've ever had in the many apartments and B&B's I have stayed in. That's also what we use at home. You can also make a pretty good foam (with a little practice) for cappuccini using a small french press and warmed milk.