Gift ideas for Christmas 2021

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The Christmas lights are twinkling in the streets of Florence, the tree is up in Piazza Duomo, now it’s time to shop for presents and dream of devouring a whole plate of pigs in blankets and yorkie puds…

Although you’ll be hard-pushed to find a Yorkshire pudding in Italy, there are certainly lots of great boutiques to purchase gifts for loved ones. Whether you’re looking for something to send in the post or give in person, I’ll list a few ideas I’ve found for gifts this Christmas 2021.

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Artisan Christmas gifts from Florence

The renaissance city of Florence is known for its craftsmanship and there are plenty of artisans grafting away on perfect pressies to put a special smile on someone’s face.
Wandering the narrow streets of the Oltrarno, you will find lots of small botteghe and might have to stop yourself from buying the whole shop. From stationery to fashion, there are hand-made products for every taste. I’m highlighting just a handful that I admire:

1. Illustrations – Lucilla Vecchiarino stocks cute illustrations to frame, as well as t-shirts and bags at LucillaVecc on Via Romana 8-10/r; Studio G’Art 44 on Via del Paradiso 3/r has a lovely collection of prints, including the Florence series designed by artist Nicole.

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2. Embroidery – Alanah Edwards is the architectural embroidery artist behind Cariatide Embroidery, creating your favourite Florentine landscapes and buildings with her needle and thread.

3. Leather bags – Cuoiofficine on Via de’ Gucciardini 116/r mixes the traditional practices of leatherwork with marbling, producing astoundingly beautiful results.

4. Jewellery – You may have come across Alessandro Dari gioelli‘s extravagant work on display in his orafo museum at Via di San Niccolò 115/r, if not it’s definitely worth a visit as you meander up to Piazzale Michelangelo; Extremida on Via Maggio 71/r also offers a lavishly artistic take on treasure staples like rings, necklaces and earrings.

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5. Stationery – Sogni in Carta, found in Via della Scala 65/r, Via Nazionale 43/r and sometimes at the San Lorenzo market, sell gorgeous leather notebooks and paper accessories for relatively low prices; Riccardo Luci Marbled Paper at Via Parione 35 A/r follows in his family’s footsteps using marbling techniques to create exquisite papers that can be bound with handmade carta and personalised into notebooks, or used to make your present-wrapping extra fancy.

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Another great place to look for a bel regalo is the local Christmas market. In Florence, we have the annual Weihnachtsmarkt, located in Piazza Santa Croce, with over 50 stalls to peruse (including mulled wine and cider to sip, or a tasty würstel with sauerkraut to munch on, whilst you browse!).
There are also other mercatini on offer, such as the mercato centrale in zona San Lorenzo, the leather market at Piazza del Mercato Nuovo by the Porcellino statue, or the monthly markets in Piazza Ciompi and Piazza Santo Spirito.
Just be mindful that the COVID rules have changed once again and masks are now mandatory in the main shopping streets and markets of Florence, with a hefty fine awaiting those who don’t comply.

Online Christmas gift ideas

Although I have tried to list the websites that you can find the negozi artigianali online above, in the years A.B. (after Brexit), it can be difficult to send items in the post. Food is no longer allowed to be sent from the UK to the EU and vice-versa, and the extortionate taxes placed on parcels can often make it not worth your while to go down to the post office.
Luckily I’ve found a work-around for the food one (hello, Cadbury’s selection boxes!) and you can avoid Brexit delivery surcharges on other things by buying online directly from a company in the country you want the gift shipped to.

1. For us EU immigrants, British Corner Shop is a great place to order all the goodies we have been homesick for without the added customs or VAT charges we are having to accept from most UK vendors. They even stock M&S Food so we no longer have to go without Percy Pigs!

2. If you’re looking for an ethical present to do your bit for the environment, why not consider adopting a beehive? It’s a quirky idea from Italian company 3Bee and you get to track the conditions of the hive as well as the location of your bees via the 3Bee app! (If the recipient lives in Italy, you can also choose the extra option of sending them a pot of honey from their bees!) If you fancy doing your bit for bee conservation as well as getting your loved one a ‘new pet’ you can get 5% discount with the code savebee5.

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3. Living in the EU and want to send some Christmas flowers back home? Online shops like Clare Florist have a lovely range of affordable options to send to the UK – and if you use the code XMASFLOWERS12 you can nab 12% off until the 12th of December! The flowers will arrive nice and fresh in a squish-free (yes, that is a technical term) box so you don’t have to worry about anything except keeping it a surprise.

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4. Another idea for italophiles this natale is an Italian language course. There are many schools in Florence that offer immersive Italian experiences as well as online lessons with native tutors, such as Scuola Monnalisa on Via Pandolfini located in a historic palazzo in the heart of Santa Croce (without their excellent tuition I wouldn’t have passed my C1 exam!). They are all fantastic teachers and if you’re wanting to gift someone a study experience in Florence they can also help with study visas and accommodation.
If this sounds a bit daunting, edX offers Italian language and culture courses by Wellesley College that might be worth gifting a subscription for instead!

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5. And last but most certainly not least, make sure your glasses are always full this festive season with some Tuscan wine! You can buy directly from cantine in Florence such as Le volpi e l’uva who have a 2021 Holiday Special option on their website, with 5 mixed bottles of wine and a bottle of organic olive oil on offer, or you can also find a selection of over 130 vini toscani at The Drink Shop to guarantee delivery by Christmas.

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Whatever your plans are for the holidays, I wish you lots of merriness and cheer. Enjoy your festive frivolities and make sure to stuff your face with lots of pudding.

Ciao for now, Holly x