Rome shopping and souvenirs

My wife and I buy less and less every trip. But in Rome, the market held in Campo di Fiori is fun and has lots of things you might want. If you are there on the right day, the Porta Portese market is a long flea market type affair. Best on Saturday, but I see it has some action on Friday and Tuesday.

Aside from markets, we wind up looking mainly for kitchen items, so seek out kitchen and culinary stores.

We actually saw some t-shirts available in some osterias and beer bars. Even though it's kind of an American thing, it would be cool to have a shirt with Italian writing on it. Enzo's in Trastevere definitely has t-shirts.

We also buy kitchen equipment. How about an olive oil jar or a small Mokka coffe pot? We have bought those in Italy. Or a Parmesan cheese jar? I love mine.

you can't help but find souvenirs when you're on vacation, that's kinda the idea. you will see the same stuff over and over and over. buy when you feel like it, or take a chance and buy near the end so you don't have to schlep.

if at some point you see something that is actually truly unique, don't assume you'll see it again.

Rick has some shopping suggestions but that's not what he is about, try Fodors and Frommers.

Food has increasingly become our main take-home souvenirs, along with tools for making new pasta shapes. The Testaccio market, which is now enclosed, has lots of vendors, for food as well as other items. Grab lunch or a snack while you peruse the stands. We brought home bags of Roma rice. You can also get shrink-wrapped, vacuum-sealed Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, better and much less expensive than you’ll find at home.

T-shirts, mini models of the Colosseum, and refrigerator magnets are available just about everywhere you turn. Or how about a cooking class? Bring home some new cooking skills, plus authentic recipes!

On our first trip to Rome I bought rosaries at the Vatican gift shop for 2 friends and my Stepmother. I stopped a priest right outside and he blessed them for me. I'm not much of a shopper but I have bought a couple of small kitchen items and on 2 occasions I bought a plate at restaurants that had their name and a design on it. These were our favorite restaurants that we went to multiple times and on subsequent trips. I have them sitting on plate stands in my dining room. When we were in Deruta I bought hand made and painted salt grinder and pepper shaker. They look beautiful in the kitchen.

Have a great trip and the previous suggestion about the markets were good ideas.

The one thing we always buy on our trips (domestic or abroad) is an ornament for the Christmas tree. We've collected enough of them that we don't even call it a Christmas tree anymore; it's the Travel Tree! :O)

We also buy books from favorite museums or other attractions we've visited. They can add some weight but we've referenced them many, many times, long after the trip is history. Museum stores are often good places to buy those tree ornaments, too.

What's best depends on what the person receiving the gift likes or is interested in. We're generally in the camp of "take only pictures, leave only footprints". If I get the urge for a souvenir, I make sure it's small and light because we do only carry-on. Every museum will have a gift shop. Camp de Fiori is good for dried pasta and kitchen stuff. I have a silk scarf from the Vatican museum with a print of the Sistine Chapel ceiling. Sometimes I do jewelry, usually earrings made from something local. In our recent trip in Sicily I bought earrings made from Mt. Etna lava. They are black and go with everything. :-) For you and your bride, maybe a cooking class? You'll have photos, memories and recipes to try at home. Like Tucci!

Keep in mind that almost everything you see in Rome (pasta, olive oil, wine) you can buy in the U.S. rather than have to carry it around in your suitcase. Robert fell in love with gelato during our many trips to Italy and for years now has been the proud owner of a Lillo (Italian) gelato machine that he bought on Amazon. Folks love to come to our house for parties!

Have a wonderful trip full of lovely memories!

We also buy a tree ornament for every trip. Mostly small non fragile things since my grandkids help decorate and I don’t want to worry. Once it was a keychain from Turkey that I deconstructed and put a wire hanger on. The most special is a lace tree topper from a trip to Oregon that we have had for 40 years.

I like to pick up scarves, reusable shopping bags from museums (the kind you can roll up and stuff in a purse), jewelry, and linens (placemats and table runners).

There are some great ideas on here!

We went to several national parks in the past few years and we started picking up small stuffed animals from each park - a buffalo for Yellowstone, a bear for Big Bend - even a stuffed sting ray from Cayman Islands. So the sky really is the limit when it comes to things buy as souvenirs.

Probably no stuffed animals to represent Rome, though. Maybe a wolf LOL.

hey hey jeff
marketsofrome.com
i love roaming through many markets and you'd be surprised at what you'll find.
i love looking for packets of sauces, spices, kitchen utilities and wares, they are small to fit in suitcase.
artist shops/galleries have some small pictures in frames of monuments of the area. even small tabbacchi shops have souvenirs you may not find elsewhere. so much to see and do, it's a lot of fun that you ooohlaa at.
aloha

I find myself doing a lot of shopping at the museum gift shops. I like to get postcards & prints, but also tote bags & reusable shopping bags.

Most churches have a little table or nook with postcards and guidebooks for the art/architecture of the church. Sometimes the translation is a little...quaint, but I love reading about the history and legends of each site.

And food. So much food. Fun fact - the x-ray machines in airport security can't distinguish between blocks of cheese and plastic explosives. Ask me how I know....

Calendars to remind you of your trip for the next year.
There are lots of lovely arty ones….not the tacky ones.
Bookmarks, the same.
Prints and drawings.
Scarves!
I have 3 drawers full of lovely scarves bought in Italy.
Soap…..I always bring home bar soap from specialty herborist shops.
Scents that you would never get at home.
Kitchen and food things.
Go into a regular supermarket and look at the spice shelves.
Small enough jars to bring home.
Small ceramic dishes or bowls or trays.
Chocolate!
Now you need to look at the packing forum to find what case to take to bring home all the goodies! ;)

I always get reusable bags at grocery stores. The one from the Pam stores in Rome has been the same design the last two times I was there...a yellow bag with a picture of a face made of food. It is super cute and makes the drudge of grocery shopping at home more fun. I also always bring home my favorite Italian toothpaste, MARVIS. Look for it at a Farmacia. It comes in many excellent flavors and the packaging is so pretty. There are also lots of profumerie, so if your wife likes to wear perfume, I recommend Santa Maria Novella and Carthusia, both have a store front in Rome, but there are many others.

My wife liked Murano Più - Glass Lab & Store and L'Artigianato at Piazza Navona. I couldn’t tell you what she bought, but it was small whatever it was. We seldom buy souvenirs.

hey hey jaime
years ago was with friend walking piazza navona, staying in apt nearby. she went in every shop OMG, to get picture of piazza navona bar/hotel. i decided to sit and people watch, free entertainment till midnight. she ended up with that picture and came out looking for me and we laughed all the way to apt. next night was dinner down some side alley, had so much food & wine, 120E later. next later morning in a taxi to cruise ship. so much fun
aloha

One of the best experiences my wife had in Florence was on a personal shopping tour I had arranged for her as a birthday gift. Ten years later, she still raves about it and uses the bags and boots she bought from the quality shops that the guide selected for her. I am sure there are similar guides in Rome.