Always exciting to see such open mindedness.
My first piece of advice is related to your initial question a).
Sustain humility. You don’t know, and you will always be learning. Without having prior experience with a wine, you won’t really know how well it showed itself. I think the key is always having the opinion “I did not like that wine that night” rather than “I don’t like wines of that grape, region or winery” The little we learn from a single bottle is only a useful guideline to help us get to the next thing we will learn. One of my favorite pass-times is helping someone realize that they actually don’t hate Chianti or Cabernet Sauvignon, but just the wines they have had.
The list of Italian varieties besides Sangiovese and Nebbiolo is near endless and can be overwhelming. Here is a very short list of some grapes that are worth trying sooner than later imo.
Reds
Aglianico - very tannic, very cellar worthy, great with steaks, but some can be made in a fresher style.
Nero d’Avola - really try Gulfi’s wines. All of them are excellent. nerojbleo is a great entry point. I’ve done a class on Nero d’Avola and terroir, using only there wines.
Nerello Mascalese - lighter, vibrant, often red fruited
Corvina & Friends (Corvinone, Rondinella, Oseleta, Molinara) - Seek out Amarone della Valpolicella, but be cautious of values here. These wines are not meant to be cheap. Also try Valpolicella. Valpolicella are fresh versions of wines made from those grapes, while Amarone are big and brooding with RS.
Schioppettino - sometimes burgundy like. light, but with black & white pepper notes.
Ciliegiolo - not easy to find, but this is one of the most underrated red grapes in Italy. try Sassotondo or Torre alle Tolfe.
Barbera - high acid and great pizza wine, espescially Barbera d’Asti. Barbera d’Alba tends to be bigger and darker.
Montepulciano - try Tiberio and Torre dei Beati. Or for a more modern style Contesa.
Negroamaro - very underappreciated. Try Cosimo Taurino Salice Salentino (usually 90% negroamaro) or Notopanaro (100%)
Whites I am a bit rushed so here are just some names of grapes/ wine types
Timorasso
Catarratto
Fiano di Avellino
Erbaluce di Caluso
Trebbiano Abruzzese (wines ar elabeled Trebbiano d’Abruzzo)
Falanghina
Carricante
Vernaccia di San Gimignano