I know this has probably been discussed many times before, but I was wondering what people have done recently.

I wanted to take some small gifts with me to give to our lodging hosts, to waiters who have gone above and beyond, to anyone who has been especially helpful.

It needed to be small and light and be from my home area.

I went to Palm Springs today and found the perfect thing - darling colorful keychains with a Palm Springs logo. I got 16 of them in 8 different designs.

What kinds of things have the rest of you taken with you?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Kim,

I, too, take things with my hometown and state logo on it. Refridgerator magnets shaped like Florida, keychains with sand and seashells in them and decks of cards with Florida Flamingos. The ladies who cleaned our hotel room in Florence really enjoyed the cards. I course I always also leave a monetary gift of my appreciation for a spotlessly clean room or outstanding service.

Ginger

quote:

I know this has probably been discussed many times before

Yep, and here's the link to some previous discussions:

Gifts to Take to Italy

I'll be in Parma for 2 nights at my husband's cousn's house, who lives with his girlfriend. For her I purchased a mini set of shower gel, body lotion, and body mist spray in a terrific citrus flavor. They're small and light enough for my suit case.

For Ernesto, I thought of a Maryland table book to show them our state. I haven't bought one yet and hope to find one that's not too large and not too heavy.

Monica

One of the threads from 2004 talked about gifts for chefs and recommended microplane graters. Are they available in Italy now? How about the containers that spray olive oil - kind of like Pam, but I would just buy the spray bottle and they can put the oil in it. We just had a friend visit from Italy who likes to cook and he loved the Pam too.

I was thinking of taking marshmallows for the kids to try with hot chocolate. My friend never saw marshmallows either.

The best gift that my mother was ever given by a guest was a (little) stone from the beach outside our guest's house... my mom is a great fan of stones in general ... but what I mean is that any present you'll decide to take will be most appreciated because of you more than because of the gift itself!

quote:

but what I mean is that any present you'll decide to take will be most appreciated because of you more than because of the gift itself! Wink Grin

Awww......that's just so sweet.

I know you're right, Guilia! When I asked our relatives if there was something they would like from the US, they even said the best gift was that we were coming to visit.

But I do have to admit that I am one of those people that enjoys shopping for great gifts and I try to find special or unique things!

I think I wrote about this in a thread a long while ago, but the most popular "take along" gifts have been:
1) microplane graters ( I will have to check and see if they are available now)
2)gel cooling "sleeves" for wine bottles. (The kind you put in the freezer for an hour or so and slip over the wine (or water) bottle to keep it cool at the table. I've bought scads of them at Williams Sonoma.
3) Burt's Bees travel size soaps, creams, lip balms, etc. Made in Vermont, this brand is authentically "American" and is a very good product. The company packages little kits of different varieties and my Italian friends love the stuff!

I am still a fan of postcards. They are very light and easy to pack so there's no problem there... also, it's a great way to introduce yourself and where you are from. As I am from California, I'll bring mostly postcards of my hometown, but also of San Francisco, LA, and other major California sights. Even things like the redwoods or the coast are great-- after all, you're traveling to enjoy someone else's home landscape, so what better way to make a connection than to share yours?

I agree with Katherine about the Burts Bees products in the cute cases. We stock up on them when we go to USa, they make great gifts for friends back home in Italy and are genuinely American, yet stylish and great value.

Just got back last week. Normally we go to the same area where we have friends and know what we would like to bring to them.
This time we went to an area of Italy where we knew noone, and where American tourists aren't ubiquitous like they are in Tuscany, Umbria or the "Big Three".

I knew when I told people that I was from St. Louis, MO, few of them would know anything at all about my city.

(Even to folks from the midsection of Italy, the midsection of the US is part of that vast nothingness that isn't part of one of our coasts.)

So, I brought a supply of these great softback books about St. Louis. (Ironically, printed in Italy! -- Bonechi) They are thinner and lighter than a magazine, and pack flat in the bottom of a suitcase.

Here is a link to Bonechi's website. You may find one for your part of the country.

http://www.bonechi.it

We are friends with a local author who writes beautiful books about his thoughts at the beach.
The books are smallish, not very thick, and I usually wrap a few with some raffia and seashells. I have found that most folks who receive them are so happy with the little book, but mostly with the smile and the thought behind the small token of appreciation.

Jennifer

Hi Katherine and Mary Jane,

Thanks for the Burts Bees suggestion - I picked up a few "head to toe" sampler kits today and I think the ladies will really like them. I bought a few little things for myself. May get a few items from Bath and Body Works. I peaked in the window today, didn't have enough time to go in, but it looked like they had some nice "summery" items available.

Katherine - any updates on microplanes? Thanks for the help!

[QUOTE]Originally posted by nancyhol:
I know this has probably been discussed many times before, but I was wondering what people have done recently.

We are going to visit family in September, and I am currently making aprons (similar to barbecue aprons) that slip over your head and then tie, and they have two pockets.
I have transferred old pictures of their relatives that my mother gave me, and now I am decorating them with stencils. I think it will be great for the women, but I have no clue what to bring for men. And as I have not seen some of them for 40 years,and some not at all, I'm really scratching my head.

Louise

Men are always tough. I bought a few baseball hats with local team and university logos. You could get logo T-shirts too. We are also bringing 2 bottles of good California wine. If I have enough room in my luggage (ha-ha), I might bring some local chocolate/candy or other food items. One of the men in our family is a chef, which is why I was asking about microplanes earlier.