Holiday guide 2023: The best Italian chocolates.

Italian chocolates are an exquisite holiday delicacy. Looking for the perfect gift for a friend, family member, or coworker who adores Italy and/or is madly in love with chocolate? Delight them with a gift of high quality Italian chocolates. Even before the recipient tastes the sweet treats, they are sure to appreciate the creative style and packaging of a gift made in Italy. While your first choice (and ours) might be a trip to Bel Paese to sample and purchase these candies from the source, several online retailers offer authentic Italian goods that can be delivered to your doorstep.

Venet holiday maxi shophush

Venetian chocolatier Wenchi, founded more than 140 years ago, makes exquisite sweets in Turin, one of Italy's chocolate capitals. They have now become international favorites, sold in stores in Italy and chocolate boutiques in more than 70 countries, including the U.S.A.

This is the first time Wenchi has collaborated with renowned American artist Andrew Banneker to create a modern, fun, colorful and detailed limited edition holiday basket. Priced at $179, the 62.5 oz. assortment of premium chocolates includes a variety of favorites from Chocoviar to the Italian dessert collection.

Sweet truffles from Antica Torroneria Piemontese

Eataly, a global Italian supermarket, imports products from the north to the south of Italy and collaborates with a wide range of artisan chocolate producers such as Venchi, Amedei and Baratti & Milano. Priced at $14.31 and packaged in a fashionably wrapped box, the box of mixed sweet truffles from Antica Torroneria Piemontese includes a variety of sweets reflecting the authentic flavor of the Italian dolce tradition from Piedmont. Flavors include truffles with amaretto, pistachio and more.

Italian traditional holiday candy gift

If you're not sure they'll like chocolate and want to provide for yourself, the Italian Traditional Holiday Candy Gift from food importer iGourmet includes delicious signature Amedei chocolate (made in the province of Pisa inTuscany) and more. Amedei chocolate is known for its delicate taste and intense flavor. The company improves the quality of its chocolate by making it from the most valuable single-origin cocoa beans.

Included in the assortment ($59.99 value): Panforte Christmas cake from Pasticcerie Sinatti in Siena; sweet crispy Frollini cookies from Puglia; and macaron-style amaretti (made with almonds and apricot kernels) from Saronno, Lombardy.

Baci Amaretto Truffles

A century-old recipe for these candies boils down to a beautifully simple one. Kiss Perugina Baci is a combination of gourmet cocoa and finely chopped hazelnuts in a soft janduja center.

The Holly Jolly gift basket.

Supermarket Italy is an online gourmet food store. Their strictly selected selection of Italian chocolates and other sweets includes well-known brands such as Lazzaroni (Saronno), Baci (Perugia), Strega Baba (Campania) and Ferrero Rocher (Piedmont), as well as Ferrara Torrone, the famous Italian candy from Campania.

This gift basket will appeal to anyone who loves sweets and can be used to create a beautiful holiday dessert plate.

Chocolate "cremini" candies by Guido Gobino from Bar & Cocoa

Bar & Cocoa is an online store for luxury chocolates from over 50 chocolate makers from around the world. One of them, Guido Gobino, has been making organic art chocolates in Turin since 1964. Using carefully selected raw ingredients, the processing of cocoa (from bean to chocolate bar) is completely controlled in-house, from roasting to grinding.

The unique Guido Gobino gift set filled with assorted cremini is perfect as a hostess gift for the holidays. Cremino is a traditional chocolate candy from Turin with a square shape and three layers. Priced at $87, the top and bottom layers of the cremini are made with Janduja chocolate, while the middle layers include classic, salted, dark and caramel chocolate.

Cocoa cream from Palazzo di Varignana

A jar of Palazzo di Varignana cocoa cream from Emilia Romagna is a true chocolate delicacy. Created on an agricultural estate that revitalizes an abandoned rural town, the cream is a luxurious blend of the finest chocolate, certified Piedmont hazelnuts with IGP and Palazzo Di Varignana's award-winning Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Olive oil is famous for its complex flavor and aromatic harmonies, achieved by crushing olives within 6 hours of picking, resulting in exceptionally low acidity. This makes the butter the perfect complement to rich chocolate. This cream is perfect for adding elegance to your morning toast or enhancing the flavor of desserts such as ice cream and fresh fruit.

The best Italian chocolates online: how to find and buy them.