Italian supermarkets - best buys?

[Whyishewearingasombero]

We usually holiday in France and are pretty au fait with the supermarket offerings.

This year, for the first time, we are self catering in Tuscany.

What should we be looking out for? To eat there and to bring back?

Thinking food and toiletries particularly - we've got teenage girls.

We're really excited about our trip!

I was just thinking along the same lines....

I posted on a similar post recently - the pasta aisle in the Italian supermarkets we went to last year were immense. Really beautifully packaged pasta, all different shapes and sizes, loads of different stuff to have get here. And super cheap. Exactly the sort of fancy looking stuff we later saw in the airport duty free, but a fraction of the price, and really nice as gifts.

A bit of a weird one but I love proper Italian grissini and you won't find better balsamic vinegar anywhere!

Also pasta crisps - so delicious.

Or olive oil

Yes, olive oil in gorgeous tins.

Gifts of unusual pasta and small containers of little-known but fabulous olive oils are great. I also buy the cartons of vino bianco, very very cheap but good for cooking. I love a wander round the Pam.

The fresh veg sections in big supermarkets are amazing! Perfect avocados, peppers the size of your head 😋 We also enjoy stocking up on very cheap fizz and fake Aperol for spritzes.
We’re going to Italy in the autumn - already looking forward to a good browse round a Conad 👍

Fresh pasta and limoncello!!

Make sure to get some proper wild boar sausage.

The people who own the accommodation make their own olive oil! I can't wait.

Breads. Pasta. Olive oil. Proper grissini. Burrata. Tomatoes. Cured meats. Wine. And Elderflower Fanta!

Dried mushrooms like porcini
Lemoncillo
Amaro (after dinner digestif)
Farther north in Alba they have an annual truffle festival. Obviously check prices, but possibly truffles are cheaper there
Ground almonds I recall being cheaper- but that might have been in Sicily

The Conad chain is amazing, I could spend days in one. They look like Spars from the outside, you’d assume they were just bog standard corner shops, but Oh. My. God. There is no corner shop in the UK like one of those.

Elderflower Fanta sounds amazing. I’m off to Amazon to see if I can get some!

Parmesan cheese

@FussyPud it's the absolute business.

Word of warning, more expensive than france. Best buy is wine from roadside fruit stands, had amazing wine from them

If you’re in Tuscany and have a car there are loads of local fruit and veg farmers who sell their wares, look out for the frutta e verdura signs by the road. They will often have fruit or veg that is local and sometimes not available outside the region. Coop is good for this, lots of local fare (fruit, veg, cheeses etc.) that are regional and very good. Look for “nostrano” on the cheeses and cold meats.

i don’t think Italian supermarkets cost more than France, I live here and when I shop in France I definitely spend more than back home. I suppose it depends on what you buy. For instance I prefer the antipasti in olive oil and not sunflower oil so will spend a bit more on that. Local cheeses, fruit and wine cost less than in France. If you buy crisps and processed food yes it will cost more in Italy. Also in tourist areas things will possibly cost more as every supermarket can choose their own pricing level.

There were suggestions on this thread https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/4843054-what-to-bring-home-from-italy?reply=127932565 and the OP updated

Fonzies (cheese crisp things - like Australian twisties)

What are pasta crisps??

I think the are just baked/fried pasta then flavoured, a bit like a wheat crunchy. I haven’t had them for years but remember them being delicious!