Whenever you find yourself in Italy, there are always a handful of musts– must-see, must-do, must-eat. There are also, however, must-buy items, ones that many people overlook completely, especially when it’s their first time in the country. So, whether you’re going back to Italy for the tenth time or if you’ve never been before, here’s an essential “when-in-Italy” shopping list for you to refer to so that you make sure you don’t miss (buying) a thing.
Florentine Leather
Finding leather in Florence is easy (it’s everywhere), but finding just the right leather-made item you can’t live without can be difficult. When shopping for leather, you’ll want to make sure that it’s, of course, real. You’ll also want to be sure that it’s authentic Italian leather and crafted by hand. The whole reason you want to buy leather in this Italian town is because Florence is known for its leather craftsmanship. And, believe me, you can tell the difference. When possible, buy direct from the leather maker.
Handmade Sandals in Capri
Capri’s Canfora Sandals are known around the world as the best. Many people make a sandal pilgrimage to Capri, stopping there for the shoes alone.
Venetian Lace
While you can find gorgeous lace throughout Venice, the Venetian island of Burano is typically considered the home of the most exquisite. For details and quality you can’t find anywhere else (and incredible views), it’s worth the trip to the small (a bit out of the way) island.
Blown-Glass in Murano
Another Venetian island day-trip, Murano is home to some of the best glass blowers in the world. Almost all of these traditional glass blowers have centuries-old history guiding their art, which is why their glass products are unparalleled.
Ceramics
Italy’s painted pottery is famous the world over for its beautiful, artistic, and colorful motifs. Each region that manufactures ceramics in Italy offers a different style. Some of the most famous cities for ceramics are Deruta in Umbria and Vietri on the Amalfi Coast.
There are so many high-quality and beautiful hand-crafted items with the admirable “Made in Italy” stamp, but these are some of our favorites. (We didn’t even talk about food and wine!) What are some of your favorite Italian products? What did we miss?
If you haven’t been to Italy or if you need to make a trip back to do some shopping, please reach out to us to start planning that trip! Get started by filling out our trip-planning form, and we’ll get you scheduled for a complimentary Italy trip-planning session!
Better yet, get some of your friends together and take a group (10+ people) shopping trip! If this sounds like something you want to plan, consider yourself a group leader in the making! What does that mean? It means you can possibly earn free travel for yourself or others in the group, extra group perks, and/or potentially a share of revenue with Kinship Vacations. Is there an important charitable cause in your and your group’s life? We can share our revenue with you to donate to that cause. What a nice way to spend a shopping vacation, right? To get more info on our group travel opportunities, check out our group travel page.
In the meantime….
Happy Wanderlusting!
Ashley
Mountain Water Travel 