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April 22, 2015

"S" is for Souvenir

When planning a trip I always give thought to the souvenirs I’d like to bring back. I want items unique to the region I’m visiting but they should also be easy to pack. And every time I look at these treasures they bring back happy memories of my travels. Here are three special souvenirs I brought home from Italy last summer.


Ceramic Bird, Capri


I chose this ceramic bird in Capri because of the bright colours. My interest in collecting birds as souvenirs began with a piece of pottery from Guadalajara, Mexico in the 1970s. Now I look for my feathered friends wherever I travel.



Venetian Carnevale Mask


Centuries ago masks hid the identities of revellers during Carnevale celebrations in Venice. Today these masks are still hand-made in shops like Ca’ Macana, suppliers of masks for the movie Eyes Wide Shut with Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. I chose the cat mask in Venetian red with musical embellishments that pay homage to local composer Vivaldi.


Masks at Ca' Macana, Venice


My third souvenir is also from Venice: a vase made of Murano glass. 


Murano Glass Vase


Craftsmen have been making glass on the island of Murano for centuries. The purple hue is created by the addition of manganese to the molten glass. It’s the same colour as local street lamps.


Glass-making Demonstration, Venice


Venetian Street Lamps


Do you collect special souvenirs of your travels?

Next:  "T" is for Taxi

6 comments:

  1. I have champagne flutes and wine glasses (sets of 12) that I shipped home from Murano in 1969. An oil painting from the Barbizon in France the same year. Only on this last trip was I much less interested in bringing back a lot of souvenirs, since I am more into the cleaning out stage of my life.

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    1. I'm getting to that stage myself. I was tempted by the wine glasses but settled on the single vase.

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  2. I love the fancy bird from Capri - so cute.
    Charlotte @My Green Nook

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  3. We travel light and for long periods of time, so we tend to get small souvenirs or things which we can ship home. I love that mask you picked out.

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    Replies
    1. Jewellery and scarves work well, depending on where you're travelling.

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