Welcome to Italy/Rome gift on Arrival? IDEAS NEEDED

Sounds nice but then you have to carry the gifts in your luggage. I’d skip it but that is me!

How about some Italian Easter eggs, no need to worry about carrying them home as I doubt they'd stick around for long.

Why don’t you have $20 in Lira waiting for them and let them shop for what they’d like to bring home?

$20 in lira?

That's pretty mean, dovetraveler. All they could do with Lire is frame them. I don't know how hard it would be to convert them to Euro somewhere. I still have a wartime 50,000 (or similar - I'm not digging it out) Lire note but it has always been worthless.

Lira? Italy hasn't used Lira since 2001/2.

Perhaps your host would be willing to set out a traditional Colomba Pasquale (dove shaped Easter Cake) and a few traditional Easter sweets/candies. If the host has a family, they might be shopping for this already so wouldn't be too much of an extra request. Also, it means you might have something for breakfast the next morning. Add in some fruit, juice and coffee, then head off to the Vatican to 'see the pope'.
Here's a little article to read.....https://www.walksofitaly.com/blog/rome/easter-in-italy-events-in-rome

Hi Robby,

That is wonderful and exciting you're going to Rome at Easter time! (I went two years in a row in December and absolutely loved it! I hope to go at Easter time one year too.)

I'm sure you know, Easter will be super crowded; especially around St. Peter's Piazza. (Are you bringing a portable stroller for the wee one?)

Where are you staying? That may help some people narrow down suggestions for your host to get the gifts for you.

As you walk about Rome in April, you'll see many gift stores and vendor carts. There are tons of stores to get a little present. Some things are "Made in China" so keep that in mind.

Aside from not knowing your family's likes or dislikes or any potential allergies, here are some suggestions:

I think "food is the way to go" for now.

Chocolate Easter eggs. They would be wrapped beautifully in cello paper or foil. Maybe these would be the best for the children. Some may even come with a little surprise inside. Perhaps these can be found at most supermercato or pasticceria (supermarket or pastry shop)

Kinder Eggs which are very popular. The little eggs come with a sorpresa (surprise) inside. But perhaps the little ones are too young for such a miniature toy. They also have the chocolate bars and mini bite sized Kinder in cello bags. I saw them at The Coop in Rome.

Nutella -- Made in Italy. Sold at Coop markets. At Christmas time, they had unique little decorated glass jars filled with Nutella -- about 4 ounces. The jars can be used for juice as a souvenir when you arrive home. If you're just doing carry on, then of course, weight is an issue as well as TSA regulations.

Mini Biscotti or Cantucci. I found, at the Coop, a large cello bag of mini Pistacchio cookies. They were only about 5€. When I got back to my hotel that night, I tried one. Unbelievably delicious! I went back to the Coop to get another bag but they were sold out. I love Pistacchio "anything." lol. I then got a souvenir container with similar mini biscotti, just as delicious. I free-check a bag in addition, so I took the pretty cylinder home with me.

https://www.namastey.it/home/ https://www.namastey.it/home/cioccolato-caffe/ If you're staying near the Pantheon, there is namasTey around the corner from it. > Via della Palombella, 26 00186 Rome. It has a lot of exotic tea blends if there are any adult tea drinkers in your family. They sell chocolates and coffee too.

At the Pantheon (and a lot of other areas and stores) are kiosks selling very small replicas (can pretty much fit in the palm of your hand) of the major attractions in Rome. For 1 €, you can get the Pantheon, or Trevi, or Colosseo...you get the idea. They are a bisque material, lightweight and ivory in color. Pretty detailed considering size. Most are wrapped in cello. Those are not made in Italy though. If you want a quality, Made In Italy replica, St. Peter's sells them in their gift shops. Priced reasonably.

For Sis and your Parents, maybe they'd like "Limoncello" chocolates. Some gift stores sells them.

How about hand painted, little bottles of Limoncello. Those can be found at specialty food stores in and around the Trevi, Pantheon, Colosseo, St. Peter's. I also saw some while passing by "corner markets." They had them displayed in their store front. The price point was about the same as a few "specialty shops."

To be more precise about the bottles. They're a thicker, corked, clear glass filled with the liquid. They're hand painted with a little scene from an attraction with script writing. Cute. They also have boot-shaped. Checked bag only **

Have fun! I hope you love Rome!

P.S. Just a heads up if you don't already know -- If you take an exclusive picture with a 'Roman gladiator,' they do expect to be paid -- upwards of 20€. I don't know from experience, just people writing about it here and there.

** eta info

Robby, (continuing from the above)

Here's an example of the Easter (Chocolate) eggs. Some are wrapped beautifully and would make a great presentation and surprise.

Scroll down to get an idea. I'm sure your host knows where she/he can get them.

https://www.google.com/search?q=Italian+wrapped+easter+eggs&rlz=1C1AOHY_enUS743US743&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=PKBPBMK4-4RLmM%253A%252Cxn0_YtmBXaR8OM%252C_&vet=1&usg=AI4_-kSpwGriT7ugZxpKakJVMYiiruVtsA&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwit4aPK9KThAhUFON8KHeztDowQ9QEwCHoECAkQCg#imgrc=PKBPBMK4-4RLmM:

A tradition with many Italian families is the Italian braided bread with the (dyed) Easter eggs. Always a favorite Easter morning. Your family may want to try them for morning breakfast during your stay.

Robby, if I read this correctly, then you are arranging with the host to have this already in the room upon arrival...right?

If you want to go with an Easter theme, then a Colomba Pasquale for the entire family and Easter chocolates for the children would be a good traditional option. Hopefully your host will buy the items at their favorite local shop rather than just buying commercial items, as there can be a big difference in quality and taste. Note that a Colomba Pasquale from a good bakery isn't cheap, but the taste will be worth every euro.

Limencello!! Limencello!! We bought some small bottles and they made the trip home as souvenirs for our 2 grown kids. We were told these were the best souvenirs ever.