Italy is an exceptional country famous around the world. Most of us dream about going there for the first time and then, once you experience it, you want to go again and again.
There is a good reason why I wanted to prepare this post about gifts from Italy. I feel that merely visiting the country is not enough. There is so much substance to Italy if you look at it from the history and craftsmanship perspective.
There are just so many of proud and skilful makers, who specialise in making unique things we would enjoy having around us. Let's discover a few together.
ANNA AKHMATOVA (POET)
'Italy is a dream that keeps returning for the rest of
With thousands of small family businesses scattered around Italy, it would be very hard to be detailed and cover all option for Italian gifts. But let me make my best attempt at highlighting key trends and groups of makers that could give you some good ideas.
Bracelets are a great gift. It can take so many forms and shapes - it seems that storytelling around them is endless. So, let's take a look at Italy from the perspective of bracelets too. It is not just about gold and silver or about the design and the designer. There is so much more to discover.
There are so many talented Italian jewellery designers. It would simply not do them justice to just mention a few here. Those are well covered and promoted by dedicated luxury accessory websites anyway.
Instead, I wanted to flag up upcoming brands and highlight some of the unique jewellery that comes with an interesting story attached. By now, you might know me - I am mostly interested in the story behind the things we use.
A perfect example of contemporary design while using traditional Italian craftsmanship. Paul Cortese team did a great job. Hurry, it might sell out.
$50
Tulsi is a shop that specialises in Italian accessories and is very popular in the US. Genuine Italian gift and simple, clean design for the starlet in your life.
$49
Bronzalure is a Milan based Atelier that has been specialising in bronze for three generations. I like that they bringing gems back - less social impact.
$119
Italian textile has been appreciated worldwide since the middle ages. Wool has played a big part in it, of course. With those vast herds of sheep strolling the countryside, the material needed has been there.
The wool industry is quite spread out, but, if you wish to visit some textile houses district of Prato is an excellent place to start. There are still more than 9000 textile businesses operating today.
It is important to note that there are three types of textile workers who make wool accessories. First is your traditional textile houses, large operations that survived the changes in our times. Then there are small family textile businesses. And finally, crafters working alone and selling their wares on Etsy.
It is impossible for me to cover them all; hence I will point out some examples of interesting work done by these Italian craftsmen these days.
Playful and colourful travel bags are an ideal present for frequent travellers. Made in Italy by a Lefrac who is specialising in felt made accessories.
$75
Laura, the owner of Anonima Mente, is the designer and maker of these playful and colourful coasters. All hand made in her studio, in Ravenna, Italy.
$20
BeFeltBag is focusing on making their products from wool felt because of its eco-friendly credentials. Could be a good gift for an eco-warrior.
$80
Peppa Mazzanti is a small one-person business with loads of creativity. She specialises in knitted jumpers for smaller dogs. Mostly use cashmere.
$50
This hand-knitted wool scarf one of many wool accessories that Rosso Venezia is selling. Very small shop, but offers a great personalised service.
$45
Montova Lana actually grows their own sheep. Hence they can guarantee cruelty-free and organic wool. Then they use family craftsmanship to create this.
$250
Italian leather is famous for its quality worldwide. It is quite common to see leather artisans around the world proudly stating that they are using Italian leather. And they are right to do so.
Italian leather accessory makers have been focusing on the right things for centuries, you see. They have been breeding cows specifically for their hide, using different breeds for a different type of accessories. At the same time, they also incrementally improved their tannery techniques to get the softest, the long-lasting leather required for accessory making.
I like that a lot of leather accessory makers these days can utilise platforms like Etsy and others to find the customers like us. In these small shops, a computer has become one of their tools needed for the business. And, it is an excellent way for us to support those small crafty businesses that create such special gifts.
Elegelie is an owner of this Italian Etsy shop. Her wallets, made from soft and colourful leather, have a large number of positive reviews from worldwide.
$39
Maruseitaly is a relatively new shop, but I do like his braver choice of colours. An orange passport holder is unique. Its leather edges talk of quality finish.
$57