What do people find themselves spending in a week on items they want to bring home?
| Title: | What do people find themselves spending in a week on items they want to bring home? | |||||||
| Category: | Expectations & Planning for Our Soriano Vacations | |||||||
| Author: | Daniele Pintaudi | Updated: | Jan 30, 2019 | Views: | 4,924 | |||
| Tags: | shopping in italy what to buy in italy shopping in tuscany what to buy in tusscany | |||||||
It is all very relative to what you are interested in. We have seen guests go home without purchasing anything at all, and we have seen guests spend thousands, going home with suitcases full of purchases.
Since it depends on what you are interested in, the best answer we can give to this question is to give you a general idea what various items will cost, allowing you to come up with your own estimate.
Keep in mind that the prices listed here are estimates based on past years, and some prices may go up before you come. All places we visit accept credit cards.
Wine
Before getting into wine costs, keep in mind that some wineries we go to will be able to ship to you, but shipping costs are prohibitively expensive. Other wineries (the smaller private places) are not set up for shipping.
Brunello di Montalcino
Most of our weeks based in Soriano have us visiting a winery in Montalcino. Their Brunello wine is widely considered the most exclusive Italian wine. It is also one of the more expensive wines. The winery we go to has excellent pricing for a Brunello, and the cost is usually about 35 Euros per bottle.
Vino Nobile di Montepulciano
Another of Italy's great wines, many guests purchase wine when we visit here. The wine here ranges between 10 and 20 Euros per bottle.
Madonna delle Macchie
This is a small winery we visit nearly every week. They produce a range of six different wines. It is completely unknown outside the area, but it is always the wine that our guests buy far more than the others. The wine is amazing, and the pricing ranges between 5 and 8 Euro per bottle.
Sagrantino
On some of our weeks, we visit Montefalco. Sagrantino is a VERY exclusive Italian wine that is unknown by most foreigners. The winery we visit here has a range of wines that cost between about 12 and 40 Euros per bottle.
Olive Oil
We usually visit a few places that produce Olive Oil, but the one that is by far the highest quality is also the one that has by far the best price. It is a tiny family-run olive mill. Olive oil from "Traditional" mills has something of a market price, so the costs vary year to year depending on the size of that year's harvest. A 1-Liter can of oil will cost roughly 12 Euros here, and almost all of our guests purchase the oil. It is just THAT good. Additionally, it is the one thing that we strongly urge people to get while here above all else, because while you will find all sorts of great wine at home, you simply will never find anything that compares to this oil. It is always the "treasure" our guests go home with.
Cheese
Many of our guests purchase Pecorino Cheese to bring home when we visit Pienza. a wheel of cheese (About 8 inches in diameter) runs roughly 12 Euros per wheel.
Fennel Pollen
You may not know what this is now, but you will. This is the ingredient that gives Tuscan and Umbrian food its unique flavor, and it is one of the reasons it tastes so much better in Italy. It is dried and ground fennel flowers. We will use this in our cooking, and nearly all of our guests go home with some. It is something you can get at any of the grocers in our area. The pricing is market-based, so it varies. But you can estimate roughly 15 Euros per 100 grams. Consider that you CAN find this back home, but it will usually cost 400% - 500% more back home than in Italy.
Ceramics
Many guests purchase ceramics in Deruta (also in Orvieto and Assisi, but mostly Deruta). The factory in Deruta has excellent prices compared to anywhere else. It is impossible for us to estimate what you might spend here because you can spend 5 Euros on something small, or thousands.
Other
We don't spend much time in touristy areas where there is the kind of shopping for gifts, but guests do often buy some clothing and other sorts of gifts here and there. This is usually a small part of what guests spend.
General Spending
Our vacations are all-inclusive, so you won't be spending money on meals, transportation, etc. But you may want snacks here and there while we are on excursions, you may want to buy some drinks at night after we end our day, etc. Additionally, if you opt out of a day with us and choose to stay back, you will be on your own for any meals you want. You should take this into consideration, but it is generally a minimal expense.
Tipping
Finally, one of the most asked questions we get is that of tipping at the end of the week. Usually, our guests pool tips for the cooking class instructor, guides, cleaning people, etc. We don't give you an amount for this, as it is completely personal. If you choose not to tip, nobody will be offended. They also won't be offended if you leave a tip. If we were to look at an average of what people usually do, it tends to be around a total of 50 to 75 Euros per guest, and we spread it all evenly among the team.