What kind of gifts did you bring home for family and friends from Italy? I'm trying to get some ideas ahead of time. Also if you remember, generally what was the cost?

Was there one big gift you bought for yourself? Are there things you regretted not buying when you had the chance?

Passing the time with 9 more days to go...

Hi Natalie..... we did Italian Escapade September 2008. We had an amazing time. We bought a lot of little gifts like kids t-shirts, small calendars, book marks, chocolate in Switzerland. We went to a department store in Lugano rather than the higher priced stores. I bought myself a Mask in Venice, and my husband bought a leather coat in Florence (but we went away from the main tourist area and got a beautiful jacket for much less than some shops were selling them for). We also bought a leather purse for my daughter, again off the main tourist area.

We also brought home some wine, and my husband bought some cured vacuum packed meats, but of course, they wouldn't let us bring them into Canada (we'd misread the instructions concerning what was allowed).

Enjoy your trip! We took a couple of extra carry on bags to put the gifts in and carried them on and off the bus (they stowed them in the luggage area for us). We were allowed an extra suitcase/bag each on the plane, so there was no problem there.

One of the optionals was to San Gimignano, and the shops there were great for purchasing gifts. Really there is no shortage of opportunity to shop, so you will find lots to spend your money on. Honestly, I can't remember what anything cost, which is fine, because we weren't going to get another opportunity to do this again soon. I know we were under our limit for bringing home purchases back into Canada.

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Thanks for the info! I think I will pack one or two soft-sided bags too.

I would love to buy a leather jacket and gloves if I find something I like. I'm a little nervous about knowing if its good quality though, especially if I start to get away from the main stores they bring you too. Are there certain types of places you should stay away from? And ways to know if you are getting good leather and such?

Oh I just thought of another question.. Is it more normal to haggle on price or for the most part are prices fixed? I'm really bad at knowing the value of an item... I'll be even more confused when trying to think "in Euros".

Flowers-Italy was included in my 38 day European Heritage tour. Your tour director will give you suggestions on what kinds of things to buy and where. I bought a beautiful lazy susan at Notturno, the inlaid wood factory, in Florence and it actually beat me home! Took maybe two weeks to come instead of the 6-8 they told me. They have tons of gifts of all sizes there. Masks from Venice of course but always remember to buy them from a shop as they come with a guarantee of authenticity. The street kiosks are tempting but they are very mass produced and the quality isn't there. I also bought wine and a wine stopper and also a beautiful glass letter opener. Oh and some pasta but unfortunately it was in the shape of penises and I didn't notice until I got home and my daughter brought it to my attention. Good grief! They are everywhere! You can't escape them!
Brenda

Natalie...... we were reasonably close to the square where the leather factory that we visited was located. The price was much, much cheaper and you could tell by the quality of the leather and the sewing that they were good quality. My husband's been wearing the jacket for a year and it still looks like new. My husband is Italian so he got along quite well with his salesman so that helped.... they wouldn'd budge on the price of the purse, but it was quite reasonable already, especially compared to some we saw. Our guideline was that we wouldn't pay more than we would have if we bought it in Canada, and we were really pleased with the quality.

It doesn't hurt to ask if they are willing to come down in price, you always have the option of walking away. It depends on how badly they want to make a sale. We didn't pay tax either.

Hello, Natalie,

I was in the BOI tour in 2007. The tour was very fast paced but we did have a chance to shop in Venice and Florence.

In Venice, Insight took us to a glass blowing shop. After the demonstration we were taken into a sales shop. I bought a heart shaped Murano glass pendant. It was 80 Euros but I felt it was worth it because of the source and the workmanship. I have seen many Murano glass jewelry since but nothing compares to the one I purchased in Venice.

When we were in Florence, our TD gave us time to shop. We were taken to a leather jacket factory/store. They had the best leather I have ever felt - buttery soft - and they had a selection of colors most of which I have never seen in U.S. stores. At that time I thought it was a hard sale but I regret not buying anything from there. Then we went next door to the Gold Corner. They had a very good selection of jewelry, most of which I have not seen before. I was able to buy a white gold necklace and I still marvel at its design uniqueness. I paid 600 Euros. I know that they sell beautiful scarves in Florence but I did not get the opportunity to go to Ponte Vecchio.
Some of my tourmates bought Masks & embroidery in Venice, I just opted for something small & easy to pack.

Have a good time on your trip.

Wow, everything sounds so beautiful. It sounds like we will be dropping most of our money in Florence .

Now I'm contemplating doing the Burano excursion on my own to give us a little extra for spending :P .

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Natalie, yes do the Burano excursion on your own. Its so easy to get there. You can explore Venice on your own,see the churches, go up the Bell tower. Don't forget there is the evening and early morning to explore Venice.