@dcarch definitely hiring a professional, don't have the time nor the tools to do a good job on my own!
@ElsieD I'll talk about panettone but most likely is not going to happen at the beginning and maybe not at this time of the year. Maybe the aroma di sicilia from King Arthur is nice, usually they have always great quality extract and aromas. In Italy there is not such thing as "aroma di sicilia" and honestly they even sell a nasty product called "aroma panettone" but you can make easily an "aromatic paste for panettone". Your aroma di sicilia would be nice to use also in many other recipes. This come to mind: brioche col tuppo (the sicilian brioche to eat with ice cream), migliaccio napoletano, sfogliatelle frolle (not the "ricce"), in the shell for cassata al forno. And in any ricotta cheese cake.
Example of what I have in mind.
Now Easter is coming and I might a bit late for it, but besides the most famous "colomba", there other many other great sweet breads around Italy at this time: fugazza veneta (this is wonderful and easier than Panettone), and various pizze dolci from Pesaro, Civitavecchia, from Umbria and Tuscany. Pinza pasquale in Trieste. Presnitz still in Trieste and many more.
Then we want to start talking about sweet baked goods made with ricotta?
Besides the most famous pastiera and cassata siciliana, or cannoli, there is much more! Sfogliatelle frolle, migliaccio, cassata al forno, castagnole di ricotta, soffioni abruzzesi, pardulas from Sardinia, ricotta infornata, torta ebraica con le visciole and much more!
Also, besides panforte, there are many panpepati in Italy. From Emilia Romagna to Lazio, to Umbria and Abruzzi.
And I could go on and on.
