What to bring back from Italy?
 

We''ll be staying in Rome in early May for a week...what are the ideal things to bring back home?
My husband would like to bring some wine back...but who wants to schlep that around?
What do you bring back...for your home...gifts, etc?

Thanks in advance,

Samantha

I would definitely buy some glass. I know you will be in Rome and not Venice, but you can still get venetian glass in Rome. I bought some rosary beads from the Vatican for my daughter, even though we are not religious, and she was thrilled. Some stamps from the Vatican for my son. Just a couple of ideas.

Hi Sammy,

I think one of the very best things to bring back are dried porcini mushrooms! They are very inexpensive in Italy compared to the US and weigh nothing when dried. Keep a very long time too!

Buon apetito!

Something leather. In my experience quality items (like gloves) can be found more reasonably there than here.

<):)

I just never *get* these types of questions, because why would you necessarily want to bring back what I want to, but anyway, what I bring back from Rome is dozens of food products - dried mushrooms, yes, and packages of pasta spices for pizi and olive oil and soap and balsamic vinegar and leather goods and cosmetics and whatever strikes my fancy at the outdoor markets that's transportable.

Well I "do" get the question especially if one is a first time visitor to Italy.

I wouldn't bother with wine unless you can't buy Italian wine where you live. I would seek out whatever catches your eye..what appeals to you Sammygrll. Olive oil can be wonderful and I have some in my kitchen right now but with the new rules I probably wouldn't bother again. Dried mushrooms, something I love, that is easy to bring home. A lovely piece of jewelry or a purse, jackets, belt, gloves etc. (make sure it is Italian leather and made in Italy versus from China or produced in a factory in Italy that does not hire Italian craftsmen). Venetian glass (again make sure it is not made in China or one of the Central or Eastern European countries etc), artwork that you like. Rosary beads if that is something that would be meaningful to you. Clothes if that is your interest.
Household items, coasters, trays etc. Do try to buy items that are truly Made In Italy by Italian craftsmen.
And have a wonderful trip!!

Art!

Enjoy, sammygrll.
:)

One of my favorite things is to buy something I like that I would like to have no matter where I saw it: in Vienna it happened to be a cashmere sweater from Scotland - I've had it 15 years and never forgotten where I bought it. (The best investment in clothing I ever made, too. I've worn it to pieces.)

In Rome last time I got a great winter scarf - saw it in a store window and it turned out to be the last one, they had to fetch it from the window for me. (Made in Italy this time) - whenever anyone asks where I got it, I'm taken right back to the time and place.

In Amsterdam I happened to see a great set of 4 crystal drinks glasses - they're wedgwood, but to me they're from the Netherlands. Of course, I misinterpreted the sign: I thought it said "half", as in half off for the set, but it actually said, "Each." Fortunately I didn't realize quite what I had done until the credit card bill arrived.

But something really local is great, too! In Orvieto we happened on a shop selling the ceramics of a modern maker, Maestro Paolo - highly recommended contemporary work advancing the tradition of Orvieto ceramics. What's nicer than a handmade carafe to serve Italian wines when you get back home? (I would second the notion of not bringing home wine - especially today, with carryon restrictions.)

I also second the idea of art - I enjoy finding great old prints or new work by living artists working in their own style, as opposed to the weary re-hashing of some bygone style.

ALSO in Italy, great paper products. They are easy to pack and the quality is great. Keep an eye out for shops with beautiful blank books, stationery, photo albums. This tpe of thing lasts for years and brings back a memory every time you use it. In fact, great friends brought me a photo album from Venice at Christmas, a real gem. But don't settle for soemthing you really don't intend to use - such things get stuck in a drawer to mystify your heirs ...

Finally - if there's something you like to collect or use at home, bring that: if you're a cook, stop in a housewares shop or grocery. If you play cards, look for special ones. If you like jewelry, perfume, hats ... get the thing you go for. Shoes in Italy, a chess game, towels. Then use it when you get home. Get yourself the quality handbag you'd love to have and USE IT, as opposed to an overpriced novelty bag that you're embarassed to carry. If you're a sports fan, look for local team merchandise for a change from your usual t shirts. But only if you like it enough to wear it!

Like I said, get something you would like to have anyway, not an "obligatory" item you really don't care about.

PS
To get really great stationery items in Rome, look for a stationery shop, as opposed to a tourist souvenir business, with their "florentine" leather address books, etc. Those are fine, but you will find really special stuff elsewhere.
My philosophy is to come u with one great thing for myself - even if it is expensive - rather than drag home a bunch of items that total the same amount and end up in a drawer.

You have received some great ideas Sammygrll and may I add one more. Tablecloths, napkins and kitchen teatowels can be wonderful purchases. They are easy to pack and something that will give you joy and reminders of your trip to Italy for years on end.

And I forgot to mention Italian silk scarves if you enjoy then. A timeless addition to your wardrobe.

Thank you all! Such wonderful ideas!!! I'm sooo excited! Ok..so wine is a no go..that's fine...more room for scarves...lol
Thanks again!

PS...I heard they have vendors around, like the Colloseum, I'm assuming those are all made in China and knockoffs...is it better to find a "leather store"...isn't there a farmers market on the weekends?

There are indeed plenty of street vendors around selling stuff that is undoubtedly imported from wherever. If you want real Italian quality, you'll likely need to shop a department or specialty store.

I enjoy grying out a department store in European cities, just to see what they have, how it's displayed, etc. The standard is becoming pretty universal, and in the average men's dept you wouldn't be surprised to find Hilfiger, Polo etc beside the Euro labels (many of which we also see in stores here.) But there will always be things that feel special and have that flair - that fine Italian hand.

RE wine: friends of mine used always to bring home a couple of bottles of something GREAT, small vintages that don't make it to export, and things that were bargains there compared to the US price. But I do believe carry-restrictions for liquids means checking bottled items now, so you'd have to figure out a secure way to check them. Probably not practical at present.

I wish I had brought back more olive oil and more Brunello! We also bought leather in Florence (jacket and purse), wine and jewelry. I wear my earrings from the Ponte Vecchio everyday! I also have a necklace from Cinque Terre that I adore!

Scarves! I forgot about scarves! I bought one for myself and one each for my mom and sister! Love them!

I would bring back the best cheese in the world -- creamy gorgonzola. But I don't know if gorgonzola is allowed by US Customs.

In California, wineries have special boxes for checking wine as luggage when you go on the plane. Do they have something similar in Italy? I can't imagine we thought of it and they didn't - LOL.

I brought back so much wine, I just found it was so much better than anything I can easily buy here

As others have mentioned, I like to bring back food items or things that I will use or see every day. I love to bring back art that I can have framed and then see every day on my walls. I love kitchen items that I use regularly, and no matter how mundane the task, the Italian tool reminds me of great trips.

Generally I like to get things native to Italy, but I also bought some of the inexpensive pashmina scarves, and also a beautiful knitted pumpkin-colored scarf with other colors knitted in that went well with my winter jacket, and I get constant compliments on it. Just buy what strikes your fancy and you know will remind you of Italy. And of course, I always have to bring back Limoncello! :-d I can buy it here, but it costs twice as much. Just put it in a ziploc bag (the 2- or 2-1/2-gallon size holds a large bottle), wrap in bubble wrap and roll in some clothes and it makes the flight just fine!

leather gloves from Sermonetta near the piazza d'espana or the glove shop on Via dei Cestari near the Pantheon.

Some of the posters here have suggested leather, I'll be a little more specific and say clothing whether leather or not. Italian clothing for men and women is very stylish, much higher quality than most clothing you can buy in the US and is rarely imported except to very exclusive shops. Your husband could look for a sweater, sport coat or leather jacket and you could look for almost anything. They won't be cheap, but may still be a decent value.

Husband always buys silk ties and leather belts. I buy glass beads and beautiful books. Friends bought cameos, embroidered tablecloths and inlayed wood boxes made in Sorrento. Anything Lemon.

Buy the wine at the duty free shop at the airport. why not? It says made in Italy and you'll only pay a little bit more for the convenience of just carrying on the plane, not everywhere else.

If your in florence - leather,
Sorrento - lemon chello,

sambuka, of course,

Good luck deciding

Theresa

www.nomadwannabe.com

Unfortunately when you buy DUTYFREE wine or liquor, it has to be checked into your checked bags upon landing before your next flight. In some countries such as Greece, there are signs in the Dutyfree shops that will tell you that you cannot buy any liquids such as alcohol or it will be taken from you.

I used to enjoy grabbing a bottle or two in duty free (the good duty free) - still do-able, I guess, on a flight straight home. I also remember one horrible time when people a few rows ahead of me beganscreeching upon landing - someone's wine bottle had broken in the overhead and red wine was pouring through the bin onto their heads and clothes. A real mess!

Another caveat: anyone considered a "minor" by u.s. customs should not try to bring alcohol into the country. And anyone else, be SURE to remember to put the amount you have purchased on your customs claim. I knew someone who forgot that his travel partner's bottle was in his own bag and didn't claim it. You'd have thought he had a kilo of hashish! Was whisked away and given the third degree, searched etc. And had to pour the booze down a drain with his own hands!

Sammy-since you're going to be in Rome, there's a couple of shops that I can recommend for gifts-and one of them specializes in Italian marble-gifts. It's on the Via dei Coronari, just down from the Spanish Steps. It's called GALLERIA MARMI LINE, and you can get both antique and modern marble gifts, such as busts, columns, vases, inlaid marble tables, chess sets, etc. They have many different gifts at different price ranges, so there's something for everyone.

Another shop is on the lovely Piazza Madama, close to Campo dei Fiori-called L'ARTIGIANATO, they have lovely hand-made gifts from all parts of Italy, ceramics from Sicily, clocks, Murano glass, lots of nice things.

Their website is www.italianhandicraft.it

Girlspytravel, I've been trying to remember the name of Marmi Lime since this was posted! We purchased a wonderful marble carving for our mantel there a few years ago. Shipping was too expensive because of the weight, so we carried it home. It somehow ended up in my suitcase and I almost knocked someone out trying to get it into the overhead bin. They also gave us three beautiful little marble vases that made great gifts for those taking care of things back home for us. A great shop, thanks for jogging my memory.

You're welcome, Amor-they've got some great gifts, don't they? When I was in Rome last September, I wanted to drop by the shop again, but I didn't get around to it-next time I will, because I'd like to purchase a small marble bust.

Limoncello!
Limoncello
Limoncello,
did I say Limoncello?:)