Gift Ideas

Fashion

Majolica

Murano

Christmas

Perfumes

If you're a big-spender, I offer some ideas on this page, for big-ticket, exclusive Italian luxury items.

Spend your money on Italian functional art, as I like to think of it.

I'll be adding to this page regularly, especially leading up to the holidays, so check back when you have a moment.

Fendi Handbags

Bulgari jewelry/bags/scent

Espresso Machines

Carozzeria Castagna

Brioni suits

Tod's shoes

Agresti jewelry/games boxes

Forzieri

Fendi has been making handcrafted leather goods since the company's founding in 1925 by Edoardo and Adele Fendi, the grandparents of today's Fendi top designer Silvia Fendi Venturini.  From the Baguette to the Spyglass to the latest Palazzo bag, Fendi makes works of art for people to carry with them throughout their day and night.  Here's a selection sold via Amazon.com to give you an idea of the variety and prices.  (There are other bags available there too, ranging from 200 to 700 dollars, as well as cheap knock-offs.)

Bulgari, the watch makers, perfumers, accessorizers and jewelers, allows you to customize their website colors to suit your mood.  Talk about luxury!  And there are multimedia shows, or 'mini-websites' as they all them, featuring new product lines, like the Sapphire Flower jewelry.  They also have a Guide to Diamonds on the Jewelry section of the site.

Espresso Machines come in all shapes and sizes; a trendy fashion accessory for the home.

Carozzeria Castagna, is a custom car maker.  They can make one-offs or customize your car any way you want.  They've been doing this since 1848, and still have visitors to car shows drooling over their toys for rich boys and girls.  Their website is in Italian, and has a history of the company.

Brioni are the custom (bespoke) tailors who dress James Bond.  That's right, 007 does not go to traditional Saville Row English tailors, and Brioni is very proud of this fact.  Sean Connery once said playing Bond taught him how to dress well.  They do offer some ready-wear and have flagship shops around the world.  All the locations are available on their website.  There are no shortage of Italian suit makers, but Brioni is the tops.

It's the broad shoulder, narrow waist look, and has the same cache as Chanel suits do for women.  And considering the price tags, maybe the saying that 'there is really only one or two Chanel suits in the world and women just keep passing them around' applies to Brioni suits too!  But I doubt that.

Tod's are hand-made cobblers and bag makers dating back to the early 1900s.  The company is still family owned and run by the Della Valle family.  Their shoes are favorites of celebrities who swear they are the most comfortable shoes in the world.  Some say the only real happiness in life comes from being with someone who smells nice and having a comfortable pair of shoes.  Tod's manages the second part.

Agresti of Italy makes stunning, exclusive, handmade wooden jewelry boxes, for men and women, and games boxes, all available via Amazon.com.

Forzieri sells worldwide and boasts it's 'put together Italy's Finest Brands to offer you the Absolute Best from the Land of Style, Elegance and Tradition. Shop over 50 Premium Designers direct from Florence, Italy'.  Click on their logo to go to their shop's main page at Amazon.com.

You'll find shoes, bags, jewelry, jackets...here's a sampling of shoes...