Souvenirs in Florence, Siena, Rome

Assisi is famous as the place to get pieces for your nativity scene. St. Francis is credited with starting the tradition. No suggestions beyond that.

Lucca has a Christmas store and of course if you are there is late November, the cities start setting up hand crafted Christmas stalls.

TAB

Hi Michelle,

I found that the shops that look like a combination fo hardware supply/kitchen supply stores had so many unexpected things that were great gifts for friends and family. At one store in Castellina I found soaps from Florence that smelled divine and were wrapped beautifully (Nesti Dante). They were three or four euros each and made great gifts when I returned home. Also, they were small and easy to bring back, plus they made my suitcase smell great.

Have fun shopping. There is no better place to do it.

Florence is great for shopping, especially leather. You can get the most gorgeous jacket for under $200. Purses, wallets, shoes - you will be heaven. I wasn't looking for ornaments, but I'll bet you can find 'em.

Florence has a few wonderful outdoor markets where you can find jewelery, purses, clothes, scarves, etc. Prices are semi-flexible, so try offering less, though some vendors do not haggle. The markets are in the main tourist area in Florence - I forget what they are called, but Rick Steves talks about them in his Italy book, if you are interested.

I am not quite sure what your thoughts are regarding what is ridiculous. In any case, i found this little shop called Lilium - Artigianato Fiorentino. They are a leather and paper goods shop with wonderful leather bound journals, albums and other leather good products that are both interesting and well crafted. i believe if i am not mistaken they are on via del proconsolo. Its just about a block away from the Duomo.

I've been to Italy many times during the summer months and can honestly say that the only place I have seen christmas ornaments was in a small ceramic shop in Florence. It was only a hand painted ball with a hook. Good luck!!! Google christmas ornaments in Italy and see what comes up. Have fun!!!

Although they don't quite count as christmas ornaments i like the wooden Pinocchios that one finds by the 100's..Our christmas tree doesn't have a "theme" other than each decoration has a story, including the glass ball filled with our dog's puppy fur. I also like the medaillons with photos of Popes found for a euro or two in major church gift shops. The nun at San Giovanni in Laterno in rome patiently reminded me who was who since i had only the vaguest memory of pre J-P II. Again, not typical tree ornaments, but charming in a way. The request is not at all strange. I couldn't imagine a trip that didn't come back without something for the tree.

I've made Christmas ornaments from other things. For example, in Ireland, I bought really nice shamrock key chains made from Connemara marble - just cut off the key chain part and attached a nice ribbon to hang on tree.

I found great things at the grocery store - dried mushrooms, high quality Italian tomato paste in toothpaste style tubes, little olive oils, candy. Cheaper than the shops and unique.

The best shopping I found in Florence was a street just off the Duomo, if you walk around the Duomo you can't miss it! The whole street for about 3 - 4 blocks is lined with all kinds of vendors, I bought a bunch of jewlery and a small chess set. You can bargin, also behind the vendors are actual stores, the stores have better quality leather than the vendors and I saw a couple bargining with a guy for a jacket, so I hopped in and got a beautiful red leather purse!

For Rome besides the high end shops theres is nothing really like in Venice or Florence, I don't really recall any street type vendors except for the ones with the tables outside the colosseum. There is a great mall with all kinds of shops under the Rome train station just take an escalator down and start exploring!

Buyer Beware: I was warned by my Italian guide to make sure you are getting real leather, not pleather (plastic +) when shopping in Florence. Having said that, if there is a lining it is difficult to tell by feeling. And smelling leather isn't a guarantee either as that "leather smell" is chemicals added to the leather when it is being worked on. I learned that in a leather shop where I watched them making things and then shopped there. In Florence. I wish I remembered the name of the place, not far from the Duomo. ptpatty

I was in France, italy and Switzerland and except for all the pinnochios (which I did not want) I found almost no Christmas ornaments and I was actively looking.

I got a beautiful cut velvet scarf right outside the Uffizzi in Florence. In Rome, I bought some icons at the Vatican gift shop even though I'm not Catholic and in Venice, I found a bead shop where I could put together beads to make my own necklace. Right near the Rialto bridge.

Thans for everybodys tips. I just wanted to let you know I actually found a lot of places in Siena that sold handmade and painted christmas ornaments. They were a little....ok a lot more that I expected to pay, but they were really nice. Of all the places I was not expecting to find anything in Siena, but you are all right about Rome and Florence, besides the Pinocchio ornaments there was not a lot to choose from. Thanks for all your help and ideas that I can use to make ornaments too!!!!!!