Italy Souvenirs that work with packing light

When we were in Venice, we bought little wooden Pinocchio figurines (each of the kids wanted one) and we have always used them as Christmas ornaments. They are only about 6-7" and tiny, and very lightweight.

Go to a kitchen store. I bought one of those cruets with two spouts, one for olive oil, one for vinegar. Not large to pack. I use it all the time and always think of Italy.
I also buy placemats when I travel and have sets of them from different countries. So easy to pack!

A wall calendar.
I always buy one that looks as if it is on parchment paper, with watercolours of the various cities, or architectural drawings.
Soap made in Italy lasts forever.
Keyrings that can then be used as Christmas tree decorations.

I’m a Christmas ornament junkie. Try to get one from every trip. Also picked up a beautiful linen table runner in Milan and linen tea towels (all made in Italy). And yes, small numbered art prints about 6” and 8” square. Also, small olive wood dish (catch all on the kitchen desk). Also a carry-on only packer. I, too, am old enough to know I don’t need them, but there will be a couple of things coming home with me from our next trip.

I agree with Suki that something useful that will remind you of your trip is the best type of souvenir. A tea towel is very easy to pack. A small dish to use as a spoon rest or an olive bowl with a little place for the pits. If you don't spend a lot of time in the kitchen, how about a scarf? Just don't go looking for something. Keep your focus on enjoying the trip, and if something catches your eye, be open to the idea of taking it home.

I buy lots of Christmas ornaments everywhere I go. Venice and Murano have all kinds of flat ornaments. I take some bubble wrap to wrap them in case the shop doesn’t, then sandwich them between clothes in the packing cubes. The Pinocchio ornaments mentioned by mikliz97 make cute ornaments or gifts. Venice has lace shops too.

Leather wallets from Florence don’t take much room. You can find good quality at reasonable prices at Toro Firenze near the Mercado. Avoid the Indian stuff from the street vendors, cheap but poor quality leather.

Jewelry and key chains don’t add weight or take up room. Books do, but I’ve hauled home paperback cookbooks before.

Ship things home if you find something you love and don’t was to haul around. If you go to Deruta Pottery, like we did on the Village Italy tour, they will ship for you. Not cheap but the pottery I bought beat me home. You can bring/buy a packable tote bag for souvenirs, store it in the bus bottom and check something on your flight home. (I check the suitcase and carry on souvenirs so they don’t break.).

Buon Viaggio!

Art prints are easy to find. Also place mats, Christmas ornaments, fancy stationary, jewelry, small ceramic figurines. All of which I've brought home over three trips. If you're a cook it's always fun to find unique cooking utensils that don't take up much room.

I'm savoring a small, plastic bottle of truffle balsamic vinegar I bought 14 months ago in Rome, more weight than other ideas but I use it regularly, and it FAR surpasses anything I've found in CA! We also buy calendars, the ones of the ancient sites in Rome was so great I keep meaning to have them individually framed.

Scarves! They are everywhere!

Don’t be me though…I went overboard one long trip and bought 8! They are light singly but 8 added enough weight to my backpack style suitcase I could hardly lift it at the end of the trip, haha!

Fridge magnets - got some cute ones in Murano, glass that look like wrapped candy. Decorated tiles, can be heavy if you get more than one! Pashmina type scarves/wraps very useful in the evenings or for the journey home as the airlines no longer seem to supply blankets or pillows.

Another fan of a Christmas ornament; we've acquired enough from our adventures that we call our tannenbaum the "Travel Tree"! Scarves? Yes. T-shirt? Yes. Jewelry? Sure (although I don't personally wear much). As well, CDs from street performers we've especially enjoyed don't take up much space, and you might enjoy a pair of leather gloves or a wallet from Florence?

LOL, one of my husband's favorites is a small corkscrew I bought in a wine shop in Capri when we realized we'd forgotten to pack one. The thing cost all of 2-3 euros, and he swears it works better than our more bulky and expensive models. Obviously that won't work for you if you're traveling carry-on only but it can be surprising what ends up being used most often after the trip!

Chocolate! If it's too heavy you can eat some to make space ;-) I also like buying bookmarks and postcards/art prints from museum gift shops.

A tea towel. A Ferragamo silk scarf !

before lugging anything heavy, look on Amazon. Wish I had done that before lugging a child's medieval helmet back for my grandson -- I could have gotten it on Amazon. to me the only things worth schlepping are things you really can't get at home. A piece of art, unique local pottery, etc. I used to get lovely hand made marbled paper books and items in Florence.

I always buy myself a piece of jewelry, usually earrings. Nothing expensive. Every time I wear the jewelry at home, I am reminded of my trip.

I typically buy a Christmas ornament or earrings to remember the trip, but when I was in Rome I found a vendor at a market selling items made of olive wood and bought a spaghetti “spoon.” We love it as it actually works unlike the plastic one we had previously.

I picked up a couple of olive wood spoons last year. I wish I had bought a few more.

We buy decorative key chains on every trip. I take the chain off discard it and when I get home use ribbon tied in a bow as a Christmas tree ornament. Love decorating the tree with these ornaments.

Dried porcini mushrooms are very light and would be appreciated by anyone who likes to cook at home.

I always bring home some cheeses but they might take up too much space if you buy several.

Some fancy Italian soap; if you are going to Florence, the Santa Maria Novella pharmacy (the oldest in Europe) is a great source of small gist items; they have shops in other cities in Italy as well. But these can be a bit expensive, so maybe only for very special persons on your list:

https://eu.smnovella.com/?srsltid=AfmBOoqgFq23882P-juNQv0nMvZxNbF7-0BrzIvxnTZPErxbpJ0YRQW6

Bookmarks, plentiful in museum shops.

In Florence especially, leather gloves. It is an interesting sizing process.

I agree with art prints. In Assisi I bought a post card with a beautiful moka pot print on it. It's framed and sits by my coffee maker. I think of Umbria every morning while getting my coffee. I also enjoy the round dish towels that can hang in my kitchen.

Bookmarks, plentiful in museum shops.

Ah, almost forgot... Many of the churches have small stacks of prayer cards near the entrances with attractive pictures on them. I'm not at all religious but like to use them as bookmarks. Drop a euro or two in the alms box as a thank you. :O)

You’ve received lots of good ideas. I also pack very light - a 13 pound packed bag on my back & a small tote. My strategy is if I want to bring something larger home, begin looking at the next to the last city. Since I just do carry on, it still needs to fit in my bag, but there’s room for an extra item, such as the nice ceramic tray I brought home from Spello in 2022.

hey hey rebecca r
does packing "super-light" mean you will have only a carry-on or a checked small suitcase?
i like shopping in small in small gift/tabacchi (sells more than tobacco)/grocery stores.i found my favorite round paris skyline and red CV2 car clock for 20E several years ago at tabacchi shop.
i would buy an abalone bracelet and broach significant of city i was in to wear when i worked., grocery totes with themes of city, pasta and packet sauces to use when i returned home, postcards and stamps to mail to friends back home, small photos/pictures framed.
we had great times just roaming and looking around. hoping you find little treasures you like. have fun traveling
aloha

Because of the same concerns with packing light, I now have a great collection of fountain pens, knives and corkscrews. Way more than I need but I ain’t stopping.

Like others have said, to keep bag light, I focus on small items. I also pick useful so it is not tucked away and forgotten and unique to remind me of the place. So Murano pendant or earrings, Vinci enameled tea bag caddy, tiny alabaster bowl, leather wallet from Florence, herb mix, tea towels, scarves, olive wood utensils, prints now framed and hung. So many little reminders, eash one dear to me.

Whenever I go to Italy I bring home to my wonderful neighbor an apron from different places. I tell her "this is what all the Italian women are wearing" Also the ceramic wine bottle corks from the towns are nice.

I bought a key chain that says Venezia on it with engraving of a gondola and a heart. I found it at the gift shop at St Mark's Cathedral. I still use it and think of our wonderful time in Venice.

I agree with the other suggestions for Christmas ornaments, a small decorative bowl, or tea towel. I sometimes find a cloth tote bag that lays flat in the suitcase that has the name of where we were or artwork on it.

I collect pens if I can find one that is unique to the country, or area. So I have a glass pen from Venice. In Florence, leather is the thing to buy. I splurged on a jacket, but there are many other items, all the way down to coin purses. I actually was given a coin purse when I purchased the jacket that I still use every day. I also found a really nice stationary shop in Florence that I bought a couple of prints from. The same shop also had really nice notebooks, and also wax letter sealers which you could personalize with your own initials.

I have several, beautiful and unique scarves I've brought back. They obviously don't break, or gather dust. I prefer to pay a little more for these, and just don't buy as much - hopefully.
Have a great trip!
Ps
Also small oil and water color paintings. I like watching the street artists and picking out a piece. On a moment of weakness, we had a larger one shipped home two years ago. Art is so personal and emotional. No regrets!

There's a reason I travel with a 24" suitcase, and it's not because I pack a lot of clothes. I buy very little now, especially since I've done my Swedish Death Cleaning once, and don't want to go through that again. But in the past, I bought Christmas ornaments, and hand made paper in Venice, leather bound journals and a truly gorgeous leather purse in Florence, water colour paintings in Rome, and a rosary at St Peters. I also bought my first (but not last) pashmina in Rome. That pashmina is still as good as new 25 years later, even though it's been worn a lot.

Museum gift shops sell eyeglass cleaning cloths representing their most famous pieces of art. The cloths are light weight and can't be broken or bent. We buy them for gifts and to keep.