Souvenirs from Italy?

[sgh20037]

What sort of souvenirs should I look for in Italy? I know Venice would be the Murino glass and the Amalfi coast would be anything with lemons! But what about the Tuscany area? Rome? Not the cheesy kind but something to be enjoyed after the cruise is over.

[slidergirl]

So many good things from Tuscany: ceramics, scarves, leather goods, wine, olive oil. I'm a scarf buyer wherever I go - they take up very little space/weight in you luggage and always remind you of your trip when you pull them out to wear :)

If are thinking of buying Murano glass, be very careful to be sure you are buying genuine glass made on Murano Island. There is tons of Eastern European knock off stuff being sold in Venice...

[hansolosmom]

My favorite thing from Rome is a book which shows what the ruins look like now & have an overlay which shows what they would have looked when they were built. Almost everywhere sells it for 12€, we also got one in Pompeii. I wish I would shave gotten one in Ephesus too!

 

Can't help with Tuscany as we didn't get anything there other than my son's belt from the Ferrari store :rolleyes:

 

Along the Amalfi coast they also have some beautiful ceramics. I'm still kicking myself for not getting a trivet with a bright sunny painting with lemons

[slidergirl]

There are indeed ceramics from Sorrento/Amalfi area. Umbria and Tuscany are famous for several specific styles of ceramics. A few are Deruta, Antico Geometrico, Raffaellesco from Orvieto and majolica styles from Montelupo (just outside of Florence). You can buy anything from bottle stoppers to dishes to serving pieces to tile pieces to vases. Right now, my favorites are the Geometrico. I have my kitchen drawers and doors outfitted in knobs I've bought over several trips. I have my rooster pitcher and vinegar and oil cruets with olive design painted at Montelupo. Any ceramics made in Italy can be a wonderful memory-based souvenir.

[notentirelynormal]

In Venice I got my masks. Love them.

[pris993]

I always shop for candy to bring back to share with co workers.

[sunsetbeachgal]

Scarves. I get so many compliments on the ones I get in Italy, most of which were not expensive.

[Keith1010]

If you could list out the specific ports that really would help.

 

Keith

[Baseball fan]

Masks in Venice...jewelry too. I try to find designs I've never seen at home.

 

 

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[texancruzer]

OOOO my favorite topic : shopping !!!! :D

 

Rome: not one of my big shopping areas. Definitely the books of the sights showing how they looked before. I have a bottom shelf on my coffee table that is covered with books from my travels. I pick one up everywhere I go. I also enjoy collecting cook books - have a bunch of those too. We have also bought some beautiful ties - all handmade at a neat little shop near the Pantheon. Also some unique smaller items for gifts for family and friends. Such as some unusual bottle openers shaped like gladiators - heavy weight and everyone loved them.....

 

Amalfi: Ceramics as mentioned..... they have wonderful tile SETS of scenes from the area. Bought two sets - one as a gift for BIL/SIL who were building a new home (Mediterranean style) They put theirs in a wall with a border on the covered porch by the pool..... the other I took and mounted on a board and framed...... and yes - limoncello anything !!!!

 

Florence: I have two favorites: one is my gold coin pendant from the Ponte Vecchio. Expensive but a wonderful souvenir...... and the other is a large painting of a scenic Florence view I bought from a young woman who was painting on the wall on the Arno river and selling her paintings to passerby's. I paid 10-15 euros (can't remember) and had it framed. It is on a landing on my stairs and I love looking at it every time I go upstairs. I have prints and paintings from many of the places I have been..... all in a gallery area of a guest bedroom......

 

Am getting to Venice this fall....... am anxious to see what I find there ;)

[HarpHarp]

What sort of souvenirs should I look for in Italy? I know Venice would be the Murino glass and the Amalfi coast would be anything with lemons! But what about the Tuscany area? Rome? Not the cheesy kind but something to be enjoyed after the cruise is over.

 

Italian shoes:D

 

Cindy

proud charter member of the Imelda Marcos/ Carrie Bradshaw fan club

[slidergirl]

Italian shoes:D

 

Cindy

proud charter member of the Imelda Marcos/ Carrie Bradshaw fan club

 

Yesssss! I was totally planning on buying a pair of good Italian leather boots on my last trip. But, I got sidetracked by a good Italian leather jacket :D Couldn't do both... I had brought my 25" Osprey Sojourn bag on this trip in anticipation of needing the extra space for boots.

 

I did bring back some chocolates from Rome and Florence for a friend who got me an employee discount rate for my last hotel... As a memory of my brief 23 hours in Paris, I bought some macarons and 2 bottles of wine at the duty-free at CDG...

[carolyn22]

I'd really like to find a nice leather jacket. Where is the best place to look? The cities I'm going to are Rome, Naples, Sorrento, Positano, and La Spezia.

[slidergirl]

I'd really like to find a nice leather jacket. Where is the best place to look? The cities I'm going to are Rome, Naples, Sorrento, Positano, and La Spezia.

 

Hmmmm. Usually, it's Florence for leather jackets. With the stores and the San Lorenzo Market, you can go as cheap or as high end as you want. With one caveat: Most jackets go up as far in size as a US 12. Once you go past that, the choice goes waaaaay down. Just so you know.

La Spezia would be the closest port to Florence. But, it's a long trip to get there - close to 2 hours each way. If you only have 6-8 hours in port, do you really want to spend 4 of those hours in transit? (personally, if I ported in La Spezia, I'd spend all my time in the Cinque Terre area!!!!)

Even Rome is over an hour from the Port. There aren't the leather stores there like you see in Florence.

[YoHoHo]

Leather gloves. Many beautiful colours, styles in supple leather. The shops take pride on fitting you properly and the gloves make for a reasonably priced souvenir

[agabbymama]

You do realize you can get the boots here in the US a whole lot cheaper. The exchange rate alone will kill you on the price. And remember the VAT tax and reporting money spent to Customs.

 

I found pashminas in almost all the ports in Italy. Wood inlaid jewelry boxes in Sorrento. Masks in Venice & Murano glass (tiny little horse). Limoncello at Pompeii. We wanted wine from Tuscany, but they wanted twice as much to ship it as the wine cost, so we drank it there.

 

Have a great trip!

[sgh20037]

Thank you all for the great ideas! I love the scarf idea - and the leather gloves. Last time we were in Florence I did splurge on a leather jacket - and it has been worn so much it really needs to be replaced!! We'll see. Anyway - great suggestions. TY And Eleanor - I really like the wine idea - plan to do just that - drink it there!

Edited August 5, 2013 by sgh20037

[euro cruiser]

I like to find jigsaw puzzles with scenes of places I've been; I've got a killer one of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel that I got in one of the Vatican Museums gift shops.

[slidergirl]

You do realize you can get the boots here in the US a whole lot cheaper. The exchange rate alone will kill you on the price. And remember the VAT tax and reporting money spent to Customs.

 

I found pashminas in almost all the ports in Italy. Wood inlaid jewelry boxes in Sorrento. Masks in Venice & Murano glass (tiny little horse). Limoncello at Pompeii. We wanted wine from Tuscany, but they wanted twice as much to ship it as the wine cost, so we drank it there.

 

Have a great trip!

 

Yes, we all realize that we can get boots in the US cheaper. But, there are some truly nice Italian leather boots that are worth paying $300-$400 for over there (bought a pair back in 2004 that I still wear). As are the jackets. And, yes, we all realize the VAT (get it back at the airport after showing the goods) and reporting the money spent at Customs. Before I got my Global Entry, the Customs guys would frequently laugh at my declarations; I always keep every receipt and itemize and give the total down to the penny.

[willieg]

One of my favorites is a small pizza cutter with a hand painted ceramic handle. Another favorite is a scarf from the Italian lakes area.

[texancruzer]

HaHaHa..... all the talk about prices and euro conversion reminds me of when we were on Santorini. Went into a jewelry store and I found a beautiful coin pendant (I collect them) with Athena on it. Dh bought it for me and we went on about our way and returned to the ship. Once aboard I commented I was surprised he didn't mind paying 400+ euros for it since it was kind of on the smallish side ..... he said "euros - I thought it was dollars " He wasnt mad - and we got a good laugh at it. He has since said many times he doesn't know why he thought it would be dollars ...... just didn't click at the time I guess.

 

As for the VAT - seems there is always some glitch that has caused us to NOT get the paperwork stamped like it has to be when leaving...... in Barcelona on our first trip we were at the airport plenty early - good thing since we stood in line to check in for 2 hours. Our flight was delayed just enough so we made it after running to the gate - but we missed getting the paperwork stamped.

 

On our second trip we checked in and went through security only to find out the kiosk to have the paperwork stamped was no where near where we were !!!! DH said no way were we going back through security just for the VAT refund.

 

So my tip of the day would be: research where the VAT refund kiosk/counter is BEFORE you get there :D

[TroubleT]

I'm a scarf buyer wherever I go - they take up very little space/weight in you luggage and always remind you of your trip when you pull them out to wear :)

 

Me too!!!!:D I have probably 45 of them!!! :D It's a great gift and a souvenir!

[agabbymama]

Yes, we all realize that we can get boots in the US cheaper. But, there are some truly nice Italian leather boots that are worth paying $300-$400 for over there (bought a pair back in 2004 that I still wear). As are the jackets. And, yes, we all realize the VAT (get it back at the airport after showing the goods) and reporting the money spent at Customs. Before I got my Global Entry, the Customs guys would frequently laugh at my declarations; I always keep every receipt and itemize and give the total down to the penny.

 

Oops, we are definitely in a different tax bracket. I've never paid $300-400 for any footwear. My Italian boots were only $80. Pashminas were $15 each or 2 for $10, those were typical of most of my souvenirs.

 

And I've never spent enough money in one shop to even qualify for the VAT refund. You can't lump your purchases together. I probably spent $500 in Italy/Greece/Kusadasi all together. NO VAT REFUND!

 

Everyone has their own priorities. Safe travels.

[slidergirl]

Oops, we are definitely in a different tax bracket. I've never paid $300-400 for any footwear. My Italian boots were only $80. Pashminas were $15 each or 2 for $10, those were typical of most of my souvenirs.

 

And I've never spent enough money in one shop to even qualify for the VAT refund. You can't lump your purchases together. I probably spent $500 in Italy/Greece/Kusadasi all together. NO VAT REFUND!

 

Everyone has their own priorities. Safe travels.

 

Trust me - I'm not in the tax bracket you think I am;) I'm a hourly wages girl. I just save for a trip every 2 years and use my employee benefits and frequent flyer miles and frequent guest points to make the trips cheap. I plan for one big purchase on my trips to Europe and have the money saved for it.

For the VAT, I've always been able to show each article and get the VAT back on it when I feel like going through the hassle; I don't necessarily have $500 spent, either. I'm not sure why you had trouble. Are you thinking of when you buy a high-ticket item and you can get the certificate right there at the store?

 

Oh, you do know you weren't buying real pashminas, but imitations, right? A genuine pashmina product, made from pashmina wool costs quite a bit. The word "pashmina" has been taken from the original meaning to now designate a knit stole.

[mapleleaves]

My answer will be different from the others .... I LOATHE shopping and I certainly don't want to waste my precious vacation time shopping. I also don't like trinkets and 'stuff'.

However, I recently realized that over years of travelling, I DO have a souvenier of choice; I've been collecting water colors/prints from various destinations. It's not intentional but if I'm walking thru a town square or market and the works of a street vendor catch my eye, I'll make a purchase. I can put the print in a tube for the trip home, then I frame it and hang it on the wall as a constant reminder of that vacation. Guests always comment on my 'gallery' and it's fun to tell them the history behind the various prints.

Anyway, that's my take on shopping!