WorldLux

With food you have to be careful regarding import rules. I've brought back lots of foods (including sausages and ham) from Italy. Bringing back perishables and especially meat can however be prohibited.

Perche

You can't bring meat through US customs, with very rare exceptions, even though vendors, and duty free at the airport will tell you that you can.

Forstbetrieb

There is no need for me to bring meat through US customs because I don't go to the states...

Only the laws in D A CH I F are important for me in this case.

Perche

Right. We just don't know where the OP is from. I'm seems like South America, but who knows what rules apply to him and his country? I'm sure it's not open borders like the EU.

squeakr

and bring back both souvenirs and gifts or ourselves, here's what we found to be lovely items for gifting:

– Good quality woolen scarves/shawls. They range from €40-€70 and make amazing gifts.

– Notebooks, calendars, and other items from the museums we visited. The Ai-wei wei exhibit had some especially interesting note books as well as glasses cleaning cloths with his artwork and printed on them. Very distinctive.

- eataly had lovely candies, cookies, etc. as well as collections of soaps and other bath products for reasonable prices. You could spend anywhere from five euros to 50 and create some attractive gifts.

obscure2k

I neglected to mention one place I nearly always visit when in Venice and that is the Peggy Guggenheim Museum shop, outside of the museum. There I find whimsical, fun gifts. Children love the funny glasses and colorful books.
http://www.guggenheim-venice.it/inglese/shop/items.html

mmack

I love going to the market in Venice and buying GOOD QUALITY herb mixes and spices. Every one likes them(those who cook) and they are easy to pack.

In Venice there are some good earring shops (ie Le Perle) that make good gifts, though not cheap. Also small leather good can be a great present

In Rome, we went to the area where the Religious "supply"stores are(can't remember the name). Passed on the Vestments, but bought small cards of the new Pope and rosaries for nuns at my father's retirement center. They were a big hit.

Kagehitokiri

thoughts re clothing?

seriously incredible thread, fantastic details, especially re authenticity!

obscure2k

Are you asking about shopping for clothing in general, in Italy? Do you have questions about specific items? In my experience, there seem to be a wider range of options for men than for women. My husband has bought far more items than I have. I venture to say that most of his clothes have been purchased over the years in Italy. I normally buy a pair of shoes and, in the past, have bought a handbag. Lots of cute clothes for kids, particularly little boys.

Kagehitokiri

pretty much in general - thoughts on value vs designer brands, made in italy vs made in china, what kind of materials if any especially, what should be bought in italy or can only be bought in italy vs better elsewhere, what to look at in person vs ordering

thanks for the great posts here obscure2k

soonerborn

OP

I tend to buy things that are hard to find in the US or things that are grossly marked up in the US.

The key is to find real craftsmen making real products....in other words, get off the beaten tourist path.

This list isn't Rome specific but...

Leather goods. Handmade belts and other accessories mainly

Hard cheeses.

Wines.

Ceramics along the Amalfi coast

Custom made clothing (suits, pants, shirts, ties etc)

DOP products that are faked or mass produced in the US. Certain pastas, olive oils etc. Balsamic Vinegar is a good example also.

There are craftsman all over Italy that churn out nearly every product imaginable. Find the ones that service the local clientele and you will find the real deal.

Talk to the locals you meet. Go into that empty little shop thats off the main tourist drag or the ones that tourists rarely stop at. Shop it for a bit and ask some questions. You will find most eager to help you. Then you can ask some questions about local craftsman. I was just in Naples when I went into a small hardware store looking for a particular thing not sold in the US. I doubt this guy hardly ever had a tourist customer despite being just off a major tourist street. I got to talking to the owner and wound up discussing politics and taxes for an hour. I happened to mention we were looking for a few more items before returning home. He locked his shop up and walked us down the street to a small shop where locals bought wine and helped us pick out 3 or 4 bottles. Then he took me to a local guy that made leather belts in his home. This guy was turning out top notch belts and the only way to find him was by word of mouth. Wound up getting 2.

Do a bit of research on how to spot fakes / cheap imports of anything you are particularly interested in. But its like anything else. If you go to a legit store and buy stuff your most likely going to be buying the real thing, if you are paying half price from a street vendor/stall then your probably buying crap.


I buy most of my nicer clothing from Italy. Mainly Naples. There are many custom shops there for shirts, pants, suits, ties, belts ...everything.

I have bought several umbrellas from this guy. They are outstanding.
http://www.mariotalarico.it/

These guys are the most famous for suits
http://www.marianorubinacci.net/index.php
http://cesareattolini.com/

You will probably spend about 3500 to 4500 for a suit from them..depending on material. It could of course get way more expensive. There are several really good tailors around Naples though where you can get a great suit for less than that. I can promise that any one of these will be far superior to any of the more famous designer branded suits. Prices might be going up a bit as it seems to be gaining popularity.

Dealing directly with the people making these items is the best way. You get a very high quality product, probably some of the best you can buy. You don't have to worry about cheap chinese knock offs.

Just be aware of any price thats too cheap. The way most places try to cut costs is using cheap material...or worse showing you good material then swapping it for cheaper material. So know your material. If you don't know....ask and feel the differences for yourself.

If its your first fully tailored suit then get a dark one that you can wear anywhere. Get a second pair of pants made for it if you plan on wearing it a lot. Pants tend to wear out much faster than shirts or jackets. Also go with a worsted wool with a 110 or 120 thread count. Higher thread counts wear out too quickly.

ckendall

For clothes I recommend the Italian version of outlet malls (verified by a Milanese fashionista friend who knows what was made for the original stores and what was made for sale in lower end outlets) such as The Mall near Florence (https://www.themall.it/it/outlet-tos...-the-mall.html).

Again, you have to be careful to avoid the stuff that is made for the outlets, but there is some incredible stuff.

soonerborn

Actually you can. Specifically regarding Italy, you can check the USDA APHIS for latest requirements. Generally it must be accompanied a certificate, depending on what region its from, how its processed etc. There is a big list of approved facilities for Parma hams. Its not difficult. You just have to wade through the regs and be prepared to prove it to customs.

Forstbetrieb

My choice is and was all the time - if I had to - to buy at the factory outlet / vendita diretta and not in a mall or something like this. I know for example the mall near Florence but never was inside. Not far away I have bought some original Versace Jeans some years ago at a Versace factory outlet and the price was much lower there. Sure for someone without time the mall is the better choice but most the time it is also a trap...

13901

It depends on where you are and where you're going. I believe that, unless you're visiting the factory outlets, the vast majority of clothes are the same wherever you go, with the main discriminant being price.

If you want to 'shop at the source', I'm sure that there'll be plenty of knowledge in this forum to give you info on where to go and what to buy; I personally am aware of the district of Biella for wool - so suits, jumpers and so on - where you can find outlets of Piacenza, Cerruti, Zegna, Angelico and Modesto Bertotto amongst others, or the Marche area for shoes and leather goods in general (think Sant'Elpidio a Mare for Tod's).

To the outlets that others have mentioned I'd add two in the NW: Serravalle, south of Novara (easy to reach from Malpensa) and Foxtown, which ironically isn't in Italy - it's in Mendrisio, Switzerland - but mainly caters to those who live in Milan and the lakes area.