The Disney Store in Venice is a toss up. Do you want the heart of Italy preserved or do you want it…read moreto feel like every other strip mall in Los Angeles? Well Venice actually has everything and if you want to shop till you drop you absolutely can. I spent about 10 minutes in this store. It's not very big and I wasn't about to waste my money on something I can buy in the States. However, if you are a Disney fan and want a souvenir, this is the place to go. The chef Mickey stuffed animal with a pizza pie was all too cute. The Star Wars R2D2 luggage was also very enticing. Don't come here if you have kids with you. Might as well kiss your euros goodbye.

A warm hug of Americana in an old European city. This is a Disney Store. You probably don't need…read moreme to tell you what it is. It's probably the smallest Disney Store I've ever seen so don't expect a huge selection.

I don't even have words for how much I loved this store, but I'll do my best. We walked by, and I…read morewas immediately drawn in by the bright windows and the unique items displayed there. Venezia is full of bright windows for pulling in tourists, but this shop was clearly special. Margherita Rossetto hand makes and paints everything. I wish I could have bought more, but we settled on a number of gifts for friends and family and a few pieces for ourselves. When I return to Venezia, I'll be coming here, because a house decorated with Margherita's works of art would be a happy, inviting place. :Yes, I can see how cheesy my review is, but, seriously, this place was fantastic.:

This is one of Venice's hidden treasurers. We were walking along and I looked in the window and…read moreimmediately had to go in. Margherita's work is wonderful. Shopping is not an issue in Venice, but this shop is special and I highly recommend making the effort to find and shop here. You won't be disappointed. All items can be shipped.

This place is a gem. Ask to see the tiny books. They even have book earrings!! Smaller than an…read moreinch!!! Multi-signature hard bound books with marbled paper covers. I bought eight. So easy to carry home and they will make great gifts or Christmas ornaments. Everything in the shop is covered in marbled paper.

I stumbled onto Il Pavone during my many bouts of getting lost in beautiful Venezia. It was 10…read moremins before closing time, but the gracious owner gave me his full attention and answered all my questions. I initially entered the store because I was curious, but quickly was taken in by the beautiful stamps available. I ended up getting several and now that I'm back in California, I look at these items with affection (and longing to return to Venezia). They are a tangible and useful souvenir of not only my first of many visits to this grand city, but also of this quaint and charming shop. P.S. I should have purchased a couple of pre-inked stamp pads. I haven't found a suitable on that really shows off the designs here in the U.S.

We took a water taxi for about a 15-20 minute ride out to the Ferro & Lazzarini glass factory…read more According to our guide, Ferro & Lazzarini is "The" Murano glass factory. The guide claims that there are a number of other glass factories on the island and that they can all use the Murano glass name that Ferro and Lazzarini are the originals. We saw a great demonstration of glass blowing - the craftsman did a wine decanter and a horse figurine. Awesome demonstration. We then had a chance to tour the showrooms and see some of the fabulous pieces they had for sale. Unfortunately, nothing was in my price range. Fabulous pieces with prices to match. Great tour if you want to see the art and craftsmanship but not if you're looking to buy anything.

I bought my girlfriend a 40 Euro bracelet that was marketed to be very high quality and completely…read morehand made. I took very good care of it on the way home and gifted it to her and she loved it. Unfortunately, it broke after 4 days of completely normal, no water, minimal movement wear. It was poorly made and very disappointing to spend a considerably amount of money for a poorly made piece of jewelry. This is not the only occurrence as my sister bought a similar model bracelet and it also broke in the same way after just 2 days of normal wear. Avoid spending money for these lackluster scams of jewelry.

Between the San Stae vaporetto stop and the delightful Campo San Giacomo Dell'Orio, you can find…read morethis serious mask workshop. The owners are helpful and the masks we asked them to ship arrived in perfect condition and in the time frame arranged. For me, the masks capture the the spirit of this very old craft -- they speak to me

On the beautiful island of Murano, Venice, Italy. Famous for its glass work. This store had…read morebeautiful Murano glass jewelry, knickknacks, hat pins, accessories and assorted other things. I spent a long time in this store finding the perfect Murano glass bracelets, the owner was super patient and helpful in helping me find the right size for my wrist, ended up going home with three bracelets and a wine stopper. Everything is local, obviously handmade and affordable, considering the area it's in.

We were in Venice on a Tauck tour and our tour guide brought us to this location to see how the…read moreMurano glass is made into various products. The demonstration was pretty impressive and interesting. Afterwards, you can stroll through the store to check out the various items they sell. They had everything from wine stoppers to Christmas ornaments to picture frames to glasses and vases and many other really big expensive glassworks.

This is an impressive showroom and has plenty of Murano glass to view and buy. My wife and I…read morestopped here as part of a tour and picked up a couple of small items - they do sell much larger custom made high-end Murano glass, but we were just looking for a couple of souvenirs. Pricing is clearly higher than the local souvenir shops that mostly sell asian-made duplicates, so you will pay up a bit for quality and the glass blowing show that they perform right in front of you. I would highly recommend the experience, and I never felt pressured to buy.

Although smaller and more unassuming than its sister shop in Firenze, this particular Il Papiro…read moreretains the same charm and remarkable craftsmanship in each of the cards they sell. None of these cards are cheap, but once you touch one, you know through the texture as well as the colors used and made in store that these costs definitely cost a lot of time to make - you are definitely not holding something that is mass produced. Although I wish they had more of a variety of cards that were themed to the city of Venice, many of the other designs were cute or elegant and all well thought out. In addition, you can also purchase customized wax seals as well. Although Venice is a maze, if you happen to run into this shop, try to stop and check it out!