Hey all, I am going to be in Italy for two weeks and would like to order coffee to bring home. Ive had Gardelli and Passalacqua and would like to try someone new. I am looking for an espresso blend as Ive already planned to order from Tim Wendelboe for filter coffee. I also want a coffee that is roast to order. Welcomed to hearing other European roasters if they have responsible shipping times.

Italy is a huge country so a city or area might help people with suggestions. There are regional roasting styles and many of the roasteries are very local. Illy etc. excluded of course.

Most of the roasteries are traditional in the sense that they roast dark and do not have roast to order. In many cases roast dates are months ago.

The coffee culture in Italy seems to be fighting the third wave type of fresh, single origin, light roasted arabicas. Instead they favor the polar opposite which is the way it's always been in Italy, especially in the south.

Italian coffee is really good but is almost a genre in itself with its own distictions. Therefore, "roast to order" and "Italian roaster" is almost a non-existent combination though there are some rare exceptions here and there.

Check this one if you are in Rome. It is very central and has very nice coffee

http://www.tazzadorocoffeeshop.com/?lang=en

Unfortunalty shipping prices are quite high

If you are in Venice, I'm very fond of this historic coffee roaster (and café). They offer a variety of blends and single-origins.
https://www.torrefazionecannaregio.it

I'm a huge lover of Italian blends, and the answer largely depends on where you're going. Check this thread (the last past was from myself) for some good suggestions.

The hunt for best Italian roasted coffee beans

Looks like you're in New Jersey but not sure how close to NYC. On a recent trip, I went to a cafe in the Financial District called Suited. Excellent espresso. The owner said he gets his beans from one of the few, if any, Italian roasters that do lighter roasts.

If you're close enough to NYC and able to try out the coffee, it may be something you want to consider. I haven't been able to find it anywhere in the US; shipping from Italy is about $25.

The coffee I was served (kenya-muthunzuuni) doesn't appear to be currently available, but here's the roaster
https://www.dittaartigianale.it/en/

I'm from Torino.
One of the most prestigious and oldest torrefazioni we had (besides Lavazza which now is what it is) is Vergnano 1884.
Vergnano is now pretty big and partnered with Eataly.
You might want to give that a try. On the other hand, a smaller, old and more unique roaster would be the historical Beccuti, which has now changed its name to Costadoro. (if you are in Torino, go to their original shop which is 150 years old and super tiny, in Via Pietro Micca, close to the castle center, Piazza Castello).
I really like them. You can definitely find fresh roasted Costadoro in the northwest of Eataly but coffee is very local. You might find some in Milan as well besides Turin.

paradoxically you will find packages of the aforementioned coffee but it will be hard to find it really fresh. I was shocked to find that it's easier to find freshly roasted coffee in the US than it is in Italy. The reason is that delicious espressos can be bought for cheap (1$) in the ubiquitous coffee shops ("bars") and people who buy packaged coffee usually use the stove top coffee maker called moka (Bialetti) for which freshness doesn't matter (and it's not really espresso).
However somewhere inside the bar, you will find a sign that says Vergnano, Costadoro, Illy, Lavazza or whatever is their roaster of choice. My best advice is to try the singles at the bars! Being a low dose and dark roast, you can have 3-5 per day, caffeine content is extremely low compared to US/Australian/third wave

All of the coffees I've mentioned are typically Northern Italian, which means no fruit no Berry lots of chocolate / nuts / balance. Made to be brewed with smaller dosage such as 7 / 14 grams.

That's our history and our heritage, I would like to point out that the espresso machine was invented and patented in Torino in 1884.