Gift-buying bargains in Italy (When in Rome...sometimes it's better to shop elsewhere)

Dreaming of holiday shopping in the Mediterranean? Read on.

I was 15 years old and severely jet-lagged on the morning my tour bus bounced into Rome. "Leather! Thirty minutes for shopping, best you're gonna find--let's go," called our skinny, bug-eyed tour guide as he hustled our foreign bodies off the bus and into the streets. I remember a tiny store on a corner, and being told to rush.

I also remember the distinct feeling of being shafted.

(That was years before the Internet. Today, I'd be stealing Wi-Fi in the street and mapping a direct route to the cattle farm.)

Here's your best Italian shopping plan, no tour guide necessary:

Leather.
There's a reason this country is shaped like a boot. Florence's leather is rich red-brown with a special treatment that "makes it last seemingly forever," says one enthusiast. Stroll in and out of competing shops (and don't be afraid to try bargaining). Look for the characteristic smooth, hard finish on shoes, wallets, handbags and belts.

Gold. Your target: Florence's Ponte Vecchio, the bridge that crosses the Arno River.  This is a special bridge--you can shop on it. (Brilliant construction!) Look for windows beaconing forth bright gold light, reflected from rapper-worthy profusions of chains. Sold by weight, this gold is 18-karat, meaning it's 75% pure as compared to the 58.5% pure American variety.  Try the shop called Viaggi.

Cameos. In Naples, tour guides will likely crowd you into a cameo-making "factory." This is more like a cameo store. They really do carve tiny ladies from shells there, and they really do know how to charge for them. If you want a deal on a cameo, most seasoned travelers point to Sorrento. Check the goods in a few shops, and be sure the carvings are genuine (look for telltale scratch marks and irregularities).

After a good shop, don't forget to pause for a Limoncello: It's always best when the drinks are sour and the deals are sweet.

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Wow! that's cool, Gift-buying bargains in Italy wish I can go there to avail also.

-krisha-

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