Here in the Syracuse area, Zone 5, there are many fig tree owners of Italian
descent. There are several options, but in a Northern climate, you really need
to grow them in a tub:
Put them in the garage for the winter. They are hardy to Zone 8, so they can
take some frost.
Wrap them up in burlap & plastic & bury them or put them in a sheltered
location.
Park Seed Co. sells dwarf cultivars, which are easier to manage.
Be sure to get a variety which fruits on new wood.
Once they get a dormant period, you can grow them indoors in a sunny window for
the rest of the winter. There is one drawback. Many Ficus carica get a
symbiotic microorganism which lives inside the leaves & fixes nitrogen. When
the sun shines, it smells exactly like you forgot to clean the cat's litter
pan.
Iris,
Central NY, Zone 5a, Sunset Zone 40
"A tree never hits an automobile except in self defense." - Woody Allen