Plan the Perfect Italian-Themed Party with These Ideas and Invites

If embracing la dolce vita sounds up your alley for your next party, allow us to help you plan it! These Italian-themed party tips will make your birthday party, bridal shower, baby shower, or dinner party a hit.

Read on for food and drink inspiration, decor ideas, playlist suggestions, and belissimo invitations so you can start spreading the word.

Italian-Themed Party Food Ideas

Set the table with the main event — Italian food! No matter what kind of Italian-themed festa you’re throwing, whether it’s a dinner party or a shower, the food will be an important element.

Here are the best main courses and appetizers to give everyone at your party a taste of Italy:

• Aperitivo hour: Plate olives, cheese, nuts, cured meat, and focaccia to channel Mediterranean culture.
• Bruschetta: Put out tiny toasts topped with chopped herby tomatoes and olive oil as one of your antipasti (aka appetizers).
• Ravioli: Serve small portions of everyone’s favorite stuffed pasta. Tortellini would work well too!
• Arancini: This is a staple on Italian antipasti menus. It’s a ball of risotto, breaded and fried. It’s like a little cozy bite of comfort.
• Cacio e pepe: This simple pasta dish is composed of black pepper and cheese sauce — simple and oh-so-good as a dinner party idea.
• Margherita pizza: A pie topped with mozzarella, basil, and red sauce is a classic Italian pizza party centerpiece.
• Fish/meat course: Italians typically follow up their pasta course with fish or meat. Try branzino, octopus and potatoes, salmon, cod, braised beef, or steak.

When it’s time for something sweet, consider these themed dessert options:

• Tiramisu: This delicious Italian dessert is made of coffee-soaked ladyfingers layered with mascarpone whip and cocoa powder. You can’t go wrong having this on your Italian table.
• Gelato: Get Italian-inspired flavors like stracciatella, pistachio, hazelnut, lemon, and melon. Serve them in dainty cups with tiny spoons.
• Affogato: Pour espresso over scoops of gelato for a refreshing end to the meal.

Bring it all together with these drinks that pair perfectly with Italian food:

• Italian red wine (e.g., Chianti, sangiovese, or Pecorino — not the cheese!)
• Italian white wine: (e.g., prosecco, pinot grigio, or moscato secco)
• San Pellegrino
• Aperol spritz
• Negroni
• Limoncello or Vecchio Amaro del Capo after the meal
• Espresso

Italian-Themed Party Decor Ideas

Make each place setting shine with these decor suggestions:

• Checkered tablecloths: Cover tables with red checkered tablecloths for an instantly recognizable Italian decoration.
• Containers of pasta: Fill clear canisters with dried pasta, like spaghetti or bowtie.
• Table runner: Find a patterned table runner for your party table with cute motifs like lemons, fish, wine glasses, or tomatoes.
• Empty tomato cans: Fill empty cans with herbs or flowers, and place them around the table settings.
• Bowls of produce: Set up your tablescape with bowls of lemons, pears, and tomatoes to give off a fresh vibe.
• Books: Stack up Italian books from a thrift shop, and top them with vases of flowers for table decorations.
• Candles: Scatter taper candles everywhere to create a cozy ambiance.
• Italian flags: DIY some flag toothpicks to stick into a few dishes, or put a small flag in the centerpiece. You might want to avoid peppering your party with flags everywhere, but a few here and there will look adorable.
• Italian wine bottles: Save up empty bottles to use as vases.
• Pasta-shaped anything: From candles to dishes to straws, everything comes pasta-shaped these days.
• Stripes: Stripes look quintessentially Italian, so feature them anywhere you can — tablecloths, place settings, cups, napkins, banners, menus, and serving dishes.

Italian Playlist Suggestions

Type “Italian party” into Spotify and you’ll be rich with results for pre-made playlists. Go for one of those, or make your own featuring artists like:

• Umberto Tozzi
• Adriano Celentano
• Caterina Valente
• Mina
• Francesco Guccini
• Marco Mengoni
• Francesco de Gregori
• Rita Pavone
• Lucio Dalla
• MĂĄneskin
• Fabrizio De AndrĂ©
• Adriano Celentano
• Vasco Rossi

7 Italian-Themed Party Invitations

Now comes our favorite part — picking out an invitation. Choose the digital invitation that stands out to you. Then, customize it and send it via email or text in just a few clicks with Greenvelope.

1. Striped Tomatoes Invitation

Design: Anna K Design

We cannot handle how cute this tomatoey invite is. The background features pink and orange stripes with a cool rounded envelope flap, and the main event is juicy tomatoes on the vine. The bold, casual cursive stands out against the maximalist background. This invite is perfect for an al fresco evening in the late summer — or when you want to channel that energy when the weather is colder.

2. Italian Marquee Invitation

Design: Sarah Deters Illustration

The sunny yellow stripes and scallop border of this Italian invitation make you feel like you’re touring through Tuscany, stopping to smell the romantic magenta flowers as you soak it all in. This is technically a wedding invite complete with a matching save the date and thank you card, but it works just as well for a birthday party or dinner party.

3. Italian Street Invitation

Design: Becky Nimoy Stationery

Swoon — the illustration on the Italian Street Invitation is almost too beautiful. The hand-drawn image will make your guests feel like they’re strolling in a tiny town full of local color. Pick this beautiful card if you’re planning an authentic Italian evening or even a destination event in the real place (we’re jealous!).

4. Striped Lemon Delight Invitation

Design: Kid Collective

Help, we’re addicted to stripes! The Striped Lemon Delight Invitation has a blue and white background with illustrations of lemons covering the border. The vibrant blue and yellow envelope completes the look. This invite also comes in pink and yellow, grey and yellow, and green and yellow.

5. Whimsical Doodles Invitation

Design: Signature Greenvelope

The look of this doodles invitation is striking thanks to the round shape, dark green and light blue color scheme, and standout illustrations. You’ll see a bust of a woman, grapes, a wine glass, a baguette, and a vase of greenery on the border of this invitation. You’ll have six striking color schemes to choose from to make sure you have the perfect pairing for your event.

6. Pizza Peel Invitation

Design: Becky Nimoy Stationery

If pizza is on the menu, the Pizza Peel Invitation is a no-brainer. It features a realistic-looking margherita pizza on a wooden slab, fresh out of the oven. The text features a fun cursive font interspersed with a unique serif font. You’ll have guests craving pizza and running to RSVP with this one.

7. Spaghetti and Meatballs Invitation

Design: Noonday Design

The Spaghetti and Meatballs Invitation evokes the feeling of being cozy in an Italian restaurant with slightly sticky plastic tablecloths, gigantic plates of pasta, and a fizzy Shirley Temple. Channel that nostalgia and indicate that this is definitely a pasta party with this cute invitation piled high with noodles and meatballs. We love the red checkered border for classic imagery and the wavy die-cut envelope for an on-trend touch.

Ciao! Have a Beautiful Party

We just know you’ll plan the best Italian-themed party full of good food, tasty wine, and delightful company. If you need help with party planning, check out the Stationers blog — parties are kind of our thing! 

We have advice on everything from party favor inspiration to menu ideation to invitation etiquette to decoration suggestions. With us in your back pocket (or in your bookmarks), you’ll feel like you have a party planner on speed dial.

Arrivederci!