WHAT ITALIANS WANT FOR CHRISTMAS: ACCORDING TO COLDIRETTI FOOD & WINE ARE THE PREFERRED GIFTS for 2007

Considering the fact that 38% of those who were asked claimed they preferred eno-gastronomic gifts (the same percentage as those who said money was their favorite gift), is evidence that the trend for the 2007 winter festivities seems to be more practical gifts. This was the recent confirmation made by the agricultural federation, Coldiretti, based on a survey conducted online. It also revealed that only 13% wanted clothing and 11% the latest technological novelties. The confirmation of the popularity of giving quality food gifts is also demonstrated by the fact that, according to a Swg survey, in the face of a growing economic crisis, only 7% of Italians have renounced spending on their holiday meals. Coldiretti emphasized that food & wine gifts were also a way to confirm a lifestyle that was attentive to re-discovering the local eating traditions and the traditions of the territory.
About nine out of ten Italians decided to eat at home on Christmas Eve and Christmas day, with friends and family, preparing a traditional meal and spending an average of 122 euros per family, for a national total of 2.7 billion euros.
In Italy, there are foods for all wallet sizes with prices that vary from tens to hundreds of euros, but the most popular item for 2007 is the “0 kilometer” food that contains products exclusively from local Territories, which do not have to travel large distances to get to consumers, thus avoiding transportation use and the resulting polluting emissions that damage the environment.
This year, there are those who enjoyed IGP hazelnuts from the Piedmont region, or honey and excellent wines from Alba, orecchiette and caciocavallo from Puglia, the dried apples, Tomette alle erbe and Fontina cheeses from Valle d’Aosta, the Lard d’Arnad DOP and Jambon de Bosses DOP and, from the Marche, the traditional maccheroncini di Campofilone. There is also soppressata, pita n’chiusa, stuffed hot peppers and fig croquettes from Calabria, as well as cold cuts like culatello di Zibello from Emilia Romagna, pancetta Piacentina DOP, as well as the renowned Parmigiano Reggiano DOP, and prosciutto di Parma.
Then there are the foods from Umbria like IGP lentils from Castelluccio di Norcia and the DOP extra virgin olive oil. The Molise offers typical cheeses like Pecorino del Matese, Caciocavallo di Agnone, as well as the Ventricina di Montenero di Bisaccia. In Sardinia, there are exceptional wines like Vermentino and Cannonau and shepherd’s cheeses. While in Lazio, there is the vino dei castelli, the lentils of Onano and the famous tozzetti. And all of these products can be acquired directly from farms or at seasonal markets.
According to Coldiretti, Italians will acquire food products over the holidays worth a total 2 billion euros. And, along with the traditional foods, there are also interesting novelties for consumers like agri-cosmetics (there is a cosmetic line made from Amarone wine, which includes after-shave, face cream, soap and lotion, as well as a line made from olive oil with face cream, hand cream, shampoo, anti-wrinkle cream, and even products made from donkey’s milk), car seats made from spelt by-products, and an “adopt a vineyard” projects.

The Christmas Gifts Italians Want Most:
Traditional foods: 38%
Money: 38%
Clothing: 13%
Technological novelties: 11%
Source: survey by www.coldiretti.it