Taste Italy Monthly (Gusto di Roma)

What's in the box: A box usually holds six full-size Italian pantry items that go together, such as spreads, preserved vegetables, crackers, cured meats, honey or jam, and at least one sweet like chocolate or biscotti.

Taste Italy Monthly sends six full-size Italian food products each month. It focuses on pantry goods, not fresh pasta or meal kits. The company says the items are imported directly from Italy, picked to go well together, and that every box has at least one sweet. The sample selections cover many regions: bruschetta toppings from Lazio, olives from Liguria, taralli from Puglia, Tuscan biscotti with fig and lemon, coriander honey from near Padova, salami, fruit jams, and chocolate bars from Piemonte. Several items come from small-batch or long-established producers, which is a good sign for quality. Most of the mix is antipasto: spreads, preserved vegetables, crackers and cured meats. That makes it better for snack boards than for cooking dinner. A few picks feel less clearly Italian, such as a Dijon mustard and a pepperoni made to an Italian-American recipe, which sit oddly next to the claim that everything is imported from Italy. You can sign up for six or twelve months, and both plans include a free gift. The site says your first box ships within 24 hours. It doesn't say whether you can pay month to month, skip a box, or adjust for dietary needs, so check before you commit. Overall it looks like a varied pantry box for people who like discovering regional Italian products.