Last summer I went shopping around the piazza in Stresa with the mission of finding good little gift ideas -- things that were relatively inexpensive and relatively small -- allowing you to buy many of them and share Stresa with as many people as possible. Here's another collection of items that I saw around the piazza that fit these same requirements:

Like these small watercolor prints... They are sold in various shops around Piazza Cadorna and the waterfront.  This particular collection were only 2 euro each. They are about 8 x 10 inches, and the scenes are all local of course, views of the lake or other local sights. This perfectly fits the requirements as a gift for someone (or yourself!) -- easy to carry, of Stresa, inexpensive. Dress these up at home with the frames of your choice.

These are a few more of the watercolor choices. I think they capture well the serenity of the lake and are a nice way to remember it.

I saw these calendars in the window of Leone, the book and stationary shop on the corner of Piazza Cadorna and via Roma. Every year there will be a new version of course.. some old returning photos and some new ones. There are several of these to choose from, in various formats and sizes. These two cost 3.50 and 7 euro; there are several in that price range.

These ceramic pasta or salad servers are more generic -- certainly they can be found all over -- but I still like them. I would always remember that I bought them in Stresa, and paired with a bag of local pasta or sauce, this becomes a great Stresa gift. These were 5 euro for the pair.

In addition to pasta, here are a couple more food gift ideas. First, dried fruits. These are always popular in the local markets. I find the taste very superior to most dried fruits I have in the States, I like the bags, with their Italian labels, and this is a way to bring fruit safely back home with you. These bags were under 5 euro each. My favorite? Albicocche... apricots... yummm...

And these are boxes of the famous Stresa Margheritine biscotti... the cookies that were supposedly first made here in Stresa for the Princess Margherita di Savoia back in 1857. These are lightweight, but fragile; pack these with care. These can be found in various food emporiums around the centro of Stresa.

I'll be back with more of these ideas... In the meantime, if you feel like a shopping spree in Stresa check out the other shopping posts here. And maybe you've discovered something we haven't mentioned yet? Want to share it with us?