Cool things in Italy?
April 9, 2010 4:03 PM Subscribe
My folks have gone to Italy for vacation. What are some interesting, well-crafted things that I could ask them to bring back?
I'm not looking for fridge magnets or postcards, but something more akin to these Japanese knives. Anything goes - clothing, art, kitchen appliances, pottery - so long as it's local and not manufactured in some distant factory.
I'm not looking for fridge magnets or postcards, but something more akin to these Japanese knives. Anything goes - clothing, art, kitchen appliances, pottery - so long as it's local and not manufactured in some distant factory.
Benelli shotguns. Beretta. Venetian masks. Classic lever-style espresso machines.
posted by paulsc at 4:43 PM on April 9, 2010
posted by paulsc at 4:43 PM on April 9, 2010
Beautiful, not tacky, Murano glass jewelry from Florence or Venice. Art prints from Florence's many printmakers. There are a few streets artists near the Pitti Palace in Florence selling drawings and watercolors.
posted by Elsie at 4:46 PM on April 9, 2010
posted by Elsie at 4:46 PM on April 9, 2010
Wine. Cheese. Cured meat. Careful with the import restrictions.
posted by The White Hat at 5:03 PM on April 9, 2010
posted by The White Hat at 5:03 PM on April 9, 2010
Pottery: Faenza or Nove. Stay away from Capodimonte: while there are beautiful pieces, there is also a lot of tourist junk.
Jewelry: gold necklaces, bracelets, rings etc. There are a lot of small, independent gold artists in just about every town, especially Florence and Vicenza. South of Rome, Cameos are still hand carved and you can find cool coral jewelry.
A good place to shop are the mercatini (open air markets): last November I found hand embroidered tablecloths and towels, 100% wool sweaters, gloves, hats, and scarves. I did most of my Christmas shopping there. Watch out for the made in China.
Leather: shoes, purses, wallets, belts. While a lot is made in China, you can still find the made in Italy.
Designers outlet stores: picked up a Francesco Biagio purse for 1/5 of what I would have paid here. The concierges of any hotels can steer your parents to the good local places to shop and eat.
My two favorite places to shop are bookstores and antique stores. The bookstores have a lot more beside books and office supplies: they carry prints, hand bound diaries, original art. In the antique stores, generally known as Antiquariato, one can find silver, jewelry, art glass etc, at prices that are decent.
It is worth repeating that the concierges of the hotels are much more than clerks: they are gods! They will know of any special market or fair and where to go for the best bargains.
posted by francesca too at 5:13 PM on April 9, 2010 [1 favorite]
Jewelry: gold necklaces, bracelets, rings etc. There are a lot of small, independent gold artists in just about every town, especially Florence and Vicenza. South of Rome, Cameos are still hand carved and you can find cool coral jewelry.
A good place to shop are the mercatini (open air markets): last November I found hand embroidered tablecloths and towels, 100% wool sweaters, gloves, hats, and scarves. I did most of my Christmas shopping there. Watch out for the made in China.
Leather: shoes, purses, wallets, belts. While a lot is made in China, you can still find the made in Italy.
Designers outlet stores: picked up a Francesco Biagio purse for 1/5 of what I would have paid here. The concierges of any hotels can steer your parents to the good local places to shop and eat.
My two favorite places to shop are bookstores and antique stores. The bookstores have a lot more beside books and office supplies: they carry prints, hand bound diaries, original art. In the antique stores, generally known as Antiquariato, one can find silver, jewelry, art glass etc, at prices that are decent.
It is worth repeating that the concierges of the hotels are much more than clerks: they are gods! They will know of any special market or fair and where to go for the best bargains.
posted by francesca too at 5:13 PM on April 9, 2010 [1 favorite]
Italy is known for (among other things) its leather goods and fashion.
Also, food - personally I love anything from foreign grocery stores that is different from what my local stores have.
I also think that asking them to sit for a street vendor to draw, paint or photograph them for you might be fun for them and a fun thing for you to have.
posted by cestmoi15 at 5:16 PM on April 9, 2010
Also, food - personally I love anything from foreign grocery stores that is different from what my local stores have.
I also think that asking them to sit for a street vendor to draw, paint or photograph them for you might be fun for them and a fun thing for you to have.
posted by cestmoi15 at 5:16 PM on April 9, 2010
Increasingly it is tough to get nice souvenirs anywhere that are not ultimately made in China.
Venice: Murano glass is really nice and not at all tacky. There is also at least one neat mask shop in Venice, and the masks come in surprisingly small (travel friendly) sizes.
Florence is know for leather goods, so a nice wallet or jacket (though that would be hard to size). N.B. most Florentine leather shops will custom emboss whatever you want in gold leaf, which would be neat for a wallet or passport cover or something.
posted by 2bucksplus at 5:19 PM on April 9, 2010
Venice: Murano glass is really nice and not at all tacky. There is also at least one neat mask shop in Venice, and the masks come in surprisingly small (travel friendly) sizes.
Florence is know for leather goods, so a nice wallet or jacket (though that would be hard to size). N.B. most Florentine leather shops will custom emboss whatever you want in gold leaf, which would be neat for a wallet or passport cover or something.
posted by 2bucksplus at 5:19 PM on April 9, 2010
I brought home a lovely, hand-carved olive wood cutting board, then gave it as a wedding gift, which I kind of regret. I regret not buying a butter-soft red leather jacket. Shopping in Italy is excellent.
posted by theora55 at 5:19 PM on April 9, 2010
posted by theora55 at 5:19 PM on April 9, 2010
Aged balsamic vinegar.
The *real* stuff in N.America is outrageously priced.
The *real* stuff in Italy is merely expensive.
Aged balsamic vinegar (the oldest stuff loses all of the sourness, actually) comes in differing grades from gold to silver to.. (?)
Spotting a splash of the "gold" stuff on a decent salad (or ice cream/gelato) makes it a remarkable salad. Marinating some of the cheaper "aged" stuff on slices of small portabellos for a couple of days/week makes them supernatural salad aid-enhancers.
posted by porpoise at 10:55 PM on April 9, 2010
The *real* stuff in N.America is outrageously priced.
The *real* stuff in Italy is merely expensive.
Aged balsamic vinegar (the oldest stuff loses all of the sourness, actually) comes in differing grades from gold to silver to.. (?)
Spotting a splash of the "gold" stuff on a decent salad (or ice cream/gelato) makes it a remarkable salad. Marinating some of the cheaper "aged" stuff on slices of small portabellos for a couple of days/week makes them supernatural salad aid-enhancers.
posted by porpoise at 10:55 PM on April 9, 2010
Seconding real balsamic vinegar (Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena), real Parma ham (probably illegal to bring into the country but holy crap is it good), some Parmeggiano-Reggiano (4-year old stuff if you want to get fancy)
posted by sdis at 2:59 AM on April 10, 2010
posted by sdis at 2:59 AM on April 10, 2010
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posted by trip and a half at 4:11 PM on April 9, 2010