If you’re looking to host a dinner party and aren’t sure where to start, look for inspiration from Italy. Both Dalla Fonte and the Table Less Traveled can attest that the Italians know best how to cook, eat, and spend quality time with friends around a table with good food and wine. And the more good food and wine the better.

Olivia told us how her family is constantly feeding those around us and their home is typically filled with various friends, neighbors, and family members. One way we both treat those we love is with items we squirreled away in our suitcases when we worked and visited Italy. It’s true, we can both relate to coming home with olive oils, jams, salts, balsamic vinegar, and so much more.

Those Italian products we carefully bring back from Italy are always meant to be shared with others which leads to dinner parties with friends that bring us back to the dinner parties we had in Italy. All this to say, that you’re in good hands if you want to host a dinner party and need a few tips to get you started. Here’s how we create an Italian-inspired dinner party. Hint: It’s really not that hard!

1. Invite your dearest friends and family members.

In Italian culture, we show our love through food. There is no greater gift we can provide than a homecooked meal for the people that we care about. This of course includes making sure that there is way too much food and you better be prepared to ask for seconds if you are sitting down at an Italian’s table.

Like it or not, the amount of gratitude shown correlates with the amount of food you eat. Invite those you love to your dinner party. It doesn’t have to be fancy, just a quick text, a holler across the lawn to your neighbor, keep it simple and genuine.

2. Antipasto before the meal even begins as people gather.

One of our favorite antipasto to set out before guests arrive is a charcuterie board. Having an antipasto helps direct people to cozy places to gather and keeps people out of the kitchen while you put the final touches on the dinner. For Olivia, this is on an out-of-the-way countertop or the coffee table in the family room.

If you were in Italy, you would see antipasto as a section on the menu. This translates to “before the meal” and includes all the delicious bites you would enjoy before the main course.

For us, this includes four key elements: cheese, meats, crackers, and accompaniments that bring it all together. Building the perfect fall charcuterie board isn’t that hard when someone tells you exactly what to put on it!

3. Make sure you’ve got the best kind of wine!

Whenever we host friends and family, we love to offer three wines: something bubbly, something red, and something white. The bubbles are a perfect way to start the night. Pour a glass for each guest as they arrive to sip and graze your charcuterie boards. There are a lot of rules around pairing red and white wines (eg if you are serving fish - only white will do!) but we have found that there are red wine people and there are white wine people - regardless of what is on the table! We love Italian wines because there is always a new varietal to discover.

A few of our go-to crowd pleasers are a Pecorino from Abruzzo (named not for the sheep cheese so many of us know and love, but for the Pecorino grape varietal that grew along the routes of Abruzzese sheep herders) and Friuli, a fruit-forward wine from Northern Italy. When serving red, we can never pass up a 100% Sangiovese or a rich Chianti Classico Riserva.

If you want to course out your wine, the white would typically be served with the lighter courses of your meals like a salad or soup to start or even pasta if you are serving a Primi (or first course in Italian). The red should be held for the Secondi (the second course, typically the meat).

If your guests are really adventurous, end the night with a small sip of Sambuca with three coffee beans. This is a traditional way of serving this after-dinner drink that offers your guests blessings of happiness, good health, and great prosperity. Keep that Sambuca in the freezer so it is nice and chilled at the end.

Check out our cheat sheet for finding the best Prosecco.

4. Serve your dinner the way Italians do.

Dinner is divided into primi, secondi, and dolci for optimum eating and chatting during the meal. Remember your dinner party is the experience, don’t rush through it.

Primi is the first dish that you serve and is usually pasta, risotto, or soup. There are a lot of different dishes that you could make. One of our favorites is Orrechiette Pasta and Tomato Sauce. It’s light and yummy.

Secondi is your main dish and is commonly meat, fish, or vegetable base. Chef Alain is teaching a Lamb Dinner class on December 10th which would be an incredible recipe for your dinner party.

And of course, you can’t miss Dolci which is the dessert portion of your dinner party. You can keep it as simple or as complicated as you’d like. Dolci can be achieved by sharing a few cookies and candies. It can also be elaborate like Tiramisu or gelato. For the caffeine lovers, our current favorite dessert is affogato which is espresso poured over gelato. Throw a biscotti or small cookie on the side to complete this sweet treat.

5. Embrace la dolce vita

Don’t forget, in Italy, it’s all about savoring every moment and bite. Enjoy your dinner party to the fullest by letting go of any worries about what might go wrong or trying to time everything perfectly. It’s okay if dishes sit for a minute while everyone sits around and chats after dessert has been served. Italians know how to make dinner parties last hours because they’re not in a rush. Sit back and enjoy being surrounded by good food and friends.

Now you’re ready for dinner party success! If you’re looking for yummy additions to your dinner, check out Dalla Fonte’s shop for our favorite Italian products. And if you’re ready for a dinner party in Italy hosted by our dearest Italian friends, then check out our Heart of Italy trip. This 9-day culinary journey feels like a nightly dinner party with friends.

Written in collaboration with Olivia Becker, Owner of Dalla Fonte

Want to participate in the ultimate Italian Dinner with Olivia, from Dalla Fonte, and Annie, from The Table Less Traveled?

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