I have some friends in their 40's who are getting married and honeymooning in Italy. Given their age, prior marriage, and combining households, they really do not need "stuff". Several of us are scratching our heads on a gift. One thought -- get them some sort of certificate for their trip to Italy. They are going to Capri, Rome and Venice. We are have $400 -$500 to spend. Any thoughts?

What a nice gift for your fiends. How many nights are they going to be in Venice? You could offer to pay for the hotel while they are there.

Tom

How about private tours in Rome or one of the other cities they will be visiting?
That will take some stress off of them as far as planning goes and will certainly not be a gift they will soon forget.
Have a look at www.wheninrometours.com for some ideas.

Oooo, I really like the private tours suggestion!

PAMO,
Please tell us if this is their first time to these places. There are so many possibilities. For example, you could give them a private gondola ride and very nice dinner one night.

But I still like the private tours idea. That's something I always seem to relegate to the "extravagance" category when planning my own trips.

Hi Pamo - A limo tour of the Amalfi Coast? A boat tour?

A balloon ride?

Steve

Great suggestions! In regards to the question -- wife has been to Italy once -- husband never.

A private flight?

My advice is not to prebook anything for them. No tour, no limo ride, no dinner reservations.

This is their honeymoon and they need to be able to do what they want and come and go as they please without being obliged to an activity that has been planned for them.

A very nice gift would be for you to give them the cash along with a listing of very nice, well recommended restaurants in Capri, Rome and Venice. You could write up a little review about each that you researched on Fodors. Let them know you would like to treat them to a wonderful dining experience. BUT...Let them decide when & where to enjoy your gift.

I absolutely agree with "saps"-I was just about to say that myself!

I also agree w/ saps. Some cash - in € - would be great. €350 is approx $450.

Or a gift certificate of a prepaid night at their Venice or Rome hotel.

I would not book any tours or guides for them since they might not want to be tied down to "your" itinerary.

This might be too crass but you could give them some money and say 'you have to do something special and you have to tell us what special thing you did'. I did that when my youger brother went on an extended trip to Europe (without putting some focus on something specific, he would have paid his electric bill - which was not my intention).

My daughter got married 2 weeks ago and was going to Italy for their honeymoon. They were going to Venice, Cinque Terre and Tuscany. I made 3 cards for them by printing pictures from the interet, one of a gondola in Venice and attached about 80 Euros, one a view of the sea by Cinque Terre and attached 80 Euro for a boat ride, and finally a picture of a small bistro table and chair with a menu in Italian and attached 100 Euro for a nice meal and wine. They loved this gift and everyone thought it was a great idea. Giving them Euros allowed them to not have to convert the money or check and if they needed to use the Euros when they first arrived in Italy they would be available.

That is a lot of money to spend for a gift, so you can't just send champagne, I suppose. I like the idea of some kind of gift certificate for a service, though, if you can arrange that. I also don't think you should schedule a date for them.

I don't generally believe in giving money as a gift, except for very young people who really don't have anything. My opinion is that, if something is a gift, you cannot assign "homework" or strings and tell them they have to report back to you what they did with it, etc. It's their money if it's a gift, and they should be allowed to spend it on anything they want, and not have extra chores created for them.

Hello Pamo, personally I love the idea of giving them Euro's with a great card that suggests that they use the euro for whatever would make them happy while touring Italy.

This way they do not have any pressure on them, no timetable that may or maynot agree with their wishes etc. I have done that will family members and close friends (wedding, birthdays, anniversarys) and from the responses I have received I truly think the gifts were very appreciated.

Billruth:
I know your daughter was thrilled!
What a precious thing to do.

I have a different take on simply giving them cash. My dear sweet boss gives me a few hundred $$$ every time I go on a trip
(yes, I <i>do</i> appreciate him! =D&gt.
As nice as it is, though, it eventually just folds into the rest of my euros. I can't say I &quot;do something different&quot; than I would have without the gift. And a wedding gift should be even more special.

Therefore, I would prefer something a little more specific. I loved Billruth's idea. How 'bout this? Prepare 3 prettily wrapped gift cards and divide the euros among them as you see fit. Decorate the outside of each card with a scene from Rome, Venice or Capri. Tell them to open the appropriate card upon arrival in each location. Each card could suggest a nice restaurant, or a private tour of the Vatican, or a gondola ride, etc., but still make it clear they are <i>only suggestions</i>.

I would love this if it were me. Think how fun it would be anticipating what awaits at the next stop.

I meant to add: with regard to each card's &quot;suggestion&quot;, they might really appreciate any research you've done on their behalf. I.e., including the name, phone number and a brief description of a highly recommended restaurant our tour guide.

Do you think they might like to use the Euros to buy art, glass, or any other decorative item that would then be your gift to them? If they don't already have all they need in that category, that is.

So many good suggestions and views! Thanks very much. I am going to share this with my friends and see what they think. If anyone has any other ideas -- do chime in!