The call of la dolce vita brings millions of visitors to Italy each year, ready to explore the country’s rich art and history, the thriving wine and food culture, stunning scenery and more. Enjoying Italy is as much about the broad, bucket list items (glimpsing Venice on the horizon as you speed across the lagoon from the airport) as it is the smaller details (enjoying the hustlebustle of Rome’s Campo de’ Fiori with its stacks of fresh produce and flowers).

Italy is the source of a vast number of delectable ingredients that make cooking that much more pleasurable, and the results all the more delicious. Our editors spotlight some of their favorites below, from sauce essentials to cheeses.