Items to purchase IN Italy?
 

so i will be in Italy this spring for 6 weeks. My girlfriend has already expressed interest in purchasing some local olive oils, but i would like to know what any of you out there would consider buying while in Italy ... please note that these items will need to be mailed/FedEx'd home, as i am only taking one carry-on for the trip... just looking for ideas here.

Leather goods are outstanding. Shoes, belts, gloves, etc.

David, if you need items shipped home from Florence, I've used Fracassi, via Santo Spirito 11 (telephone: 055 289 340. If you spend over EU 150 (I believe; otherwise it's EU 300), you can qualify for the Value Added Tax (VAT) refund. Check the store where you are purchasing items -- they'll usually have a sticker posted on the door. But if you don't show the merchandise at the airport when claiming the refund (in the event they ask for it -- sometimes they do, sometimes they don't), the Italian authorities at the airport will not stamp the paperwork for you to receive the refund. Italy has everything you will want to buy. I like checking out the latest eyewear since many of the styles don't ever get to the USA (different tastes for different countries, I guess); men's clothes/suits; Ferragamo shoes (with the VAT refund, they are very affordable and if you get them on sale, even better. A lot of the models are not available in the USA either) and the quality lasts for years. You could go for pottery, fabrics (most of the best fabrics in the world are made in the factories around Prato or around Biella in the Piedmonte); marbled paper in Florence or Venice; leather goods. You name it!

Bookmarks of places in Italy, pasta<BR> ( I got a friend a package of gondola shaped pasta while I was in Venice) Limoncello, paintings or drawings, or playing cards ....

Leather purses are great there. Also, silk items like men's ties and scarfs. <BR>

Since you are coming in the spring I would skip the olive oil since it isn't fresh. The good stuff that people rave about is the first press which is done in November. By spring the it won't be as good as in November and you could just get regular olive oil instead back home.

It depends WHERE in Italy and what you are interested in

I agree with the previous poster, it depends on where you are and what you like. I personally loved the painted ceramics, which I found in Florence and Assisi (pretty much everywhere). Of course, if you're in Venice, then you would want to pick up some Murano glass of some sort. I'm afraid I'm going to make some enemies when I say this, but I was not impressed with the leather. Don't get me wrong, it was beautiful, but the prices were not great. Most of what I saw I could get here, on sale, cheaper. Now, some might say it wouldn't be the same quality, but I honestly couldn't tell the difference. I buy good leather here. BUT, it's always fun to say it's Italian leather. Don't get me wrong, I did buy some, but I don't feel like it was a good deal. Also, if in Florence, gold is a must. Please remember, though, when you are looking at the prices, that almost everything there is 18K. While in Assisi, we picked up some beautiful carved olive wood items for very reasonable. So, it really does depend on where you are and what you like.

vino, leather, olive oil

If you'll be in Venice DEFINITELY buy Murano glass something. My favorites were small vases. This glass is exquisite and is a fraction of what you'd pay for it in the States. Be sure to look for the official &quot;Murano&quot; label. If your Catholic (or your relatives are), my mother was bowled over by the rosary I brought her from the Vatican. Wine, wine and more wine!