cathy

My husband and I each bought a leather jacket in Florence. Every time we wear them, it reminds us of a wonderful time.

daneille

Message for William re Venetian Masks. We bought back 3 from our recent tour of Italy. They were fine and are deceptively strong despite their delicate looks being made from papier- mache <BR><BR>We had them wrapped in tissue paper and stacked on top of each other then wrapped again in brown paper. Needless to say we did not pack them in our suitcases but carried them in a carry bag separately.<BR><BR>To give you an idea of how strong these masks are we have hung them on a wall at home at at one stage or another all have fallen off (a distance to the floor of some 2 metres) onto carpet but have survived unscathed.<BR><BR>Other things we brought back were oil paintings of Venice canals purchased near the vaporetto stop in San Zaccharia, leather goods (handbags) in Florence markets, silk ties also from the Florence markets (a steal) and my husband bought the most beautiful business shirts in Rome.<BR><BR>We stayed away from the Venician glass although it was my intent to purchase some. It was extraordinarily expensive for the unique pieces and the cheaper pieces tended to look just that - cheap!

ellen

It's Ok to bring back cheese as long as it is vacuumed packed or shrink wrapped. Barilla pasta is available in the US reasonably; it's the best of the pastas that we have. I have hauled back Brunello, outstanding olive oil, and ceramics from Italy and have not regretted the purchases. I also bring back the pici or pinci pasta---the thick spaghetti with the hole in the middle. Have not found this in the US.

ellen

Forgot to mention the marzipan fruits and vegetables. Not really edible by the time you get them home, but wonderful to look at. Ellen

Alice Twain

emma:<BR><BR>actually the high amount of sugar perserves marzipan for weeks after is is made, you can usually eat it one month or two after it has been shaped and painted.

Renee

topping!

RAR

Mirto. A special liquor from Sardinia, and rather hard to find in the U.S. (even my Italian import grocery store does not have it).

wondering

after three trips to italy and a lot of buying my favorite items have been pesto from the cinque terre and florentine stationary- not italian gold or designer goods- just these inexpensive items that fit just about anywhere in the luggage...i think the pesto goes straight from the plant into the jar as it is unbelievable...

Jocelyn_P

We like to find a local street artist and take home watercolor paintings of favorite places we've visited. You do have to be careful, as some scammers try to pass off mass-produced prints as originals. But, they're easy to take home in a cardboard tube, and you can have them framed at home. We have all of ours in our dining room, which makes for a great conversation starter with dinner guests. They never spoil, get eaten, or go out of style!

Era

Some very good responses. Be careful trying to bring back edible goods. We have had packaged food confiscated by customs in NYC. I suspect they took it home and ate it.

I agree with a previous reponder, does anyone really like Limoncello? And when you drink it at home, rather than the Amalfi Coast, it loses what little luster it had.

Deruta pottery is beautiful, but breakable. I love the beautiful Italian fabrics, linens, embroidered and hand-crocheted towels, tablecloths, etc.

skimom53

Hi, The silk scarf and tie ideas are great as well as small leather goods. There is an excellent outlet mall outside Florence. For more info: www.firenze-outlet.com. I found men's ties at the Ferragamo outlet there for 60 Euros, and women's scarves for 60-80 Euros at the outlet. Gucci outlet also had great buys. The Santa Croce Leather School in Florence also has great small and large leather goods; everything from ten Euros to thousands, depending on what you buy. You can get lipstick cases and coin purses to leather coats, luggage, and fancy handbags. They will stamp your initials in gold on anything you purchase at no extra charge. Website in English: www.leatherschool.com. Have fun!

Dog_Mother

Some of my longer lasting/most enjoyable items are:

1. Eyeglasses from Venice (purchased the frames only in Venice)
2. Brunello wine
3. Poster from La Scala - Madama Butterfly with the date I attended
4. watercolors from artists near Santa Croce in Florence
5. night cream for my face from Santa Maria Novella pharmacy
6. St. Francis with wolf from Ugo's shop in Assisi
7. Pottery from Deruta
8. Calendars
9. Menus from great restaurants we ate at

lilleyl2

skimom53, thanks for posting those web addresses--we will be in Florence in a few weeks, and some of us are planning to do some shopping. For some bizarre reason, I couldn't get to the outlet mall website--were you able to go to it? Thanks.

Lil

smontroy

I have visited Italy so many times and I would always try to bring back some of their fine wines. Once I had a carry on suitcase full of bottles. The stress of worrying about breakage and the constant juggling of the wine while traveling finally cured me of that endeavor. I asked a wine dealer on one trip about the best way to take wine back and his response was &quot;In your belly&quot;. I now make sure I enjoy all the great wines while in Italy and no more worrying about packing them. Also I found that if I order a great wine by the bottle in a trattoria or restaurante and I don't finish it, have a cork in your pocket and without making a big deal about it, just take it with you to your hotel or apartment. I have never had any problem doing this.

Renee

Inspired by the France thread, I'm bringing this one back to the top! Any more ideas??

swalter518

For that amount of money, I'd pick up some 18k gold-it's hard to find in the US (but all they sell in Italy). You can easily find something for this price - a cameo in Ravello, lapis and gold in Florence, etc.

ellenem

I like to visit a local supermarket and browse. You see another aspect of Italian life. I've found wonderful products to enjoy myself or share with friends. Some of my favorites:

= pasta sauces (salmon cream, mushroom cream) in nonperishable parmalat-like containers
= panna cotta mix
= olive oil
= cocoa mix, especially the dense kind
= pocket-packs of tissues, much softer and stronger than those at home
= dry pasta in interesting shapes

stormyhd

Gelato shovel spoons
Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinagar
Art from street artists

travel04

Hi!

My favorites: couple of shawls from the outdoor market near the Duomo in Florence. Some silver bracelets in the market. Couple of prada/gucci purses at the Porta Portese market in Rome. A silk scarf at this same market. Near the Uffizi in the big Signoria?? Plaza next to the restaurant Eat and Go is a perfumeria. Bought a couple of perfumed oils for 9 Euros(last year) and my boy friend got a cologne that smells fab. I got a perfume for 13 Euros. In the outdoor market in Rome I picked up some shoes for 10Euros. And then of course chocolates at the grocery store in Rome! In Venice - murano vase and Venetian mask for 22 Euros together. Hope this helps!!!

Oh and in Pisa I bought some pottery, small vases to carry home, plus the leaning tower of pisa souvenir and a few magnets of Pisa. In Rome...I don't think I got any statues etc.

Patrick

I never fail to return with a giant bag of dried porcini mushrooms. When they cost about $7.99 at my local store for a tiny, tiny bag, I love bringing home a year's supply for about twice that.