Merry Christmas 2016! I'm going to share some tipsy for what to shop in Italy for your upcoming trip..hopefully it's useful for you all.
1) Branded Bags
I think this is one of the top list of the items that is must buy item for all ladies visiting Europe? :-) So, if you are visiting Italy - buy branded bags or items made from Italy! If you are clueless like me initially on which branded bags are actually from Italy (sorry, I'm a total noob on branded stuff since I'm not a fan of it) - below are some of the brands that are made from Italy which you can checkout during your visit to Italy:
- Gucci - founded in Florence, Italy in 1921
- Prada - founded in Milan, Italy in 1913
- Salvatore Ferragamo - founded in Florence, Italy in 1927
- Furla - founded in Bologna, Italy in 1927
- Liu Jo - founded in Carpi, Italy in 1995
- Giorgio Armani - founded in Milan, Italy in 1975
Tax refund: Standard Italy product taxes are about 22%. You can get back tax refund of about 10 to 12% if you spend more than EUR155 and above. You can claim back the tax refund at the airport before departure back. It is always recommended to get back the tax refund form in EUR cash - don't get back the cash in other currency other than EUR dollar as you will lose in their exchange rate since the conversion rate from the tax refund company is pretty bad! Better take the EUR dollar and go back only change back your local currency.
Tips on where to shop for branded stuff: Shop in Rome - Piazza di Spanna, beside Scala di Spagna (Spanish Steps) rather than in Milan as it's very easy to locate the brands since it's lined up beside each other and not so crowded.
2) Italian Chocolates
Looking for some Italian chocolates as souvenirs for your friends or family members? Remember to checkout these few Italian choc brands as I never recall I see that in Malaysia. So worth to buy this for people to try!
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| I love the left one - pistachio! The right one is white hazelnut |
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| Cappuccino flavor |
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| I love the Tiramisu flavor one! |
3) Olive Oil
As Italy is famous of Olive Oil, you can get variety of Olive Oil flavors in here like pepper olive oil (which is spicy one), lemon and garlic olive oil etc. Worth checking out the different flavors that you could not get in Malaysia especially like the spicy one - don't need to put chili flakes anymore when you cook spaghetti aglio olio :-)
For small bottle of olive oil, it's about EUR6 to EUR8 for each.
4) Italy Coffees
All coffee lovers out there - it's a must buy item as it's so dirt cheap for all the coffee in here! Some of the coffee brands that you can buy:
5) Venetian Mask fridge magnets
A recommended souvenir to buy if you are visiting Venice (or you can find too in some cities in Italy) - Venetian mask fridge magnets! It's a very unique mask magnet which you can get only in Italy.
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| So beautiful Venetian mask magnets! You can find these in Burano island in Venice. The price is slightly higher for these - ~minimum EUR2 for each |
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| The other designs like this is about ~minimum EUR1 for each. You might get it cheaper if you buy in bigger bulks |
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| If you do not prefer the full face like the earlier ones - can consider getting this - it's quite nice too. About minimum EUR1 for each. |
Note: Those bought from the Venice island like in Burano island is more expensive though since you need to consider the boat transportation cost over. So it's recommended to buy the magnets in the Venice mainland where you take the boat from.
If you are not interested in the Venetian masks, can checkout the normal type of fridge magnets like below:
6) Italian Biscotti
Biscotti, known also as cantuccini, are Italian almond biscuits that originated in the city of Prato. They are twice-baked, oblong-shaped, dry, crunchy, and dipped in a drink, traditionally Vin Santo.
7) Fashion and Leather goods
Italy is famous for fashion and leather goods. Some fashion clothing brands which you can checkout is Valentino. The largest Valentino flagship store is in Rome.
8) Glass
Murano glass is glass made on the Venetian island of Murano, which has specialized in fancy glassware for centuries. Although it's made in Venice, it's available to buy not just in Rome shops but all over Italy. One thing to take note is to make sure it's the real thing - there are a lot of cheap imitations out there. All genuine Murano ware, no matter how small, comes with a certificate of authenticity.
That's all about the shopping haul in Italy.
For more information on my Italy itinerary, please checkout the link here.
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