The art of handmade inlaid woodwork is a time honored and noble Italian tradition. It is one of the…read morecrafts that Sorrento is known for and people visiting this part of Italy often seek out wooden jewelry boxes, tables and furniture. It's an ancient craft where each piece is created by highly skilled artisans, most trained by their families who have worked in and perfected this craft generation after generation. Some families go back more than 500 years. When planning my trip to Sorrento, I knew I wanted to visit some of the wood shops and when I happened upon Augusta & Luca's workshop, I was immediately drawn to the pictures that depicted various views of Sorrento. One particular scene really spoke to me; it was an image that I had captured the day before with my camera, a view from the top of a cliff overlooking the Bay of Naples. I was amazed at the detail, the various shades and colors of the wood that when pieced together created a natural shade of blue water and green trees on the cliff. This particular picture was unique in that the outer 1.5 inch edge was a light olive wood, rather than dark walnut like most, and on the inner edge was a mosaic border made with tiny pieces of various brown wood. Stunning! The combo of the outer frame and inlaid mosaic border really set the picture off. I couldn't take my eyes off of it. Lauren, the store owner, explained that this piece was crafted by three members of her family. Her father-in-law; her husband, Augusta; and her son, Luca. All three had contributed to this piece of art which was her favorite and why it was hanging on its own in an archway. Without hesitation, I purchased the picture. It perfectly capture what Sorrento looked like through my eyes and in the memories I would always savor. The lighter wood on the outside goes with the mid century modern aesthetic of my home so I knew it would be perfect. Art is personal and finds it's way to the right owner, the person who will treasure and be the keeper of the piece. When I travel, I love purchasing art rather than trinkets. The art gives life to my home with images and memories of places I've visited and loved. I promised Lauren that her favorite piece found the right owner as I respect the work that went into it and will treasure it forever.

We visited Positano Oct 2018 and had a custom table made . Out table was delivered in April, very…read morehappy with out beautiful table .

I may not have the location exactly correct--as I recall, from the ferry landing you go straight…read moreback into town, up a narrow alley and small shops that abruptly turns up and right and up. On the landing above is a storefront for Ceramiche Casola (the location is not listed on their website). No doubt it is active only for the tourist season. But if you happen across it, the offerings are amazing. Beautiful tables, vases, planters, all hand-painted and custom. They literally don't have "stock" items to walk away with. You can get something identical to what's shown, or change it however you'd like. We commissioned a 42" patio table, following one of the patterns shown but changing things up a bit--a little darker blue, a little lighter green, put bees where the butterflies are...and oh yeah, put our family name along the rim. The table is utterly indestructible, made from carved volcanic stone and fired at like 10k degrees. Nothing can happen to it. It was not cheap--2800 euro if I recall correctly--but that does include an iron stand for the table and shipping to the USA. We were quoted ~6 months delivery but it came in 3. The table and stand were delivered in a wooden crate with "Fragile" all over it--that's how I knew it was Italian (haha). It was exceptionally well packed. Two people highly recommended to move and place the stand and table. The stand was very beefy, definitely no corners cut. Once up it is a fabulous reminder of a great trip. It has held up to the snow and ice of NJ no problem. Since it's custom-only it takes some time, but it's time well-spent.

One of many shops in Sorrento offering beautiful ceramics and Limoncello, many of the bottles hand…read morepainted. They also have lots of "lemon" items like lemon soaps, pasta, kitchen towels, table runners, cookies and candy. The lemons are grown in their orchard and in the store a video is always playing showing the fields and process of making the limoncello. If you find items you like, they will ship it or you can always order online if you prefer. Located in the old part of Sorrento, the store is bright and clean, the white tiles with lemon yellow and blue sky accents definitely catches your attention and draws you in. I found their limoncellos to be one of the best, it was smooth, not too sweet or strong.

Love this s place. Been to Sorrento twice and love the shop owner, Annamarie. She is such a…read moresweetheart. The ceramics are also beautiful and not the typical style seen in Italy. Well worth the trip. My daughter still talks about Annamarie. Can't wait to go back.

Amazing ceramics and pottery. Would love to buy more from back home in the states. Please go…read morethere.

We were visiting Vietri for the first time and we thrilled to see all the local hand made ceramics…read more This area has been famous for their gorgeous ceramic creations for years. You can visit some of the factories here or see almost everything you can imagine in the local shops on the main street. Most of them will ship your purchases to your home.

We are American tourists and visited this ceramic factory on our vacation to Amalfi Coast in Spring…read moreof 2012. We loved their beautiful hand-made ceramics and decided to buy a lovely large vase (300 euros) to ship back to us in the states as a memorable piece from our Amalfi vacation. The vendor tells you that they will arrange shipping back to the US or any other country for nominal charge. That's where the good ended and the regrets began. Once we were back in the states, we ran into many problems with both the ceramic company and the Mailboxes Etc shipping company. First, the shipping company tried to charge us more than double what was quoted when we purchased the vase (150 euro vs 50-75 euro quoted). They would not ship the purchased vase until we provided a credit card number. We settled on an 80 euro charge to ship the vase (the vendor than charged our card for 105 euro, which we had to dispute). Then, the vase arrived completely shattered because it was inadequately packed. Artistica Ceramica was not helpful in resolving the claim. Language barriers and lack of email responses made it impossible to resolve the claim directly with the vendor, so we had to dispute the credit card transaction. The vendor still fought us and would not resolve the situation. Their final argument was that it took us more than allowable 14 day timeframe (it was 15 days) to provide written documentation of claim, which is outside their required window despite our repeated phone calls within the 14 day window. Terrible customer service that leaves us holding the bag. There's a lot of trust placed in a company when you buy goods on international travel that they will follow-through on the promises they've made when selling you the goods. Unfortunately, that trust was misplaced with Ceramica Artistica and we're out 300 euros for the vase and 80 euros for the shipping. And all we have to show for it is a shattered vase. I would recommend international tourists stay far away from this company unless you can pack your purchase in your suitcase home.

Walking along Via Giuliani with no particular destination in mind, I saw a gorgeous blue-green…read moreMurano glass bowl sitting in a storefront window. I immediately made a beeline into Atmosfera. The light was hitting the glass just right, and it was positively luminous. Murano glass has been made for centuries on the Venetian island of Murano. In the past, I have always purchased some kind of jewelry made of Murano glass when I've been in Italy, as it is a symbol of the beautiful country. However, when I saw this large piece of art in Atmosfera's window, I knew I had to have it. It was a statement piece that I could always have out as a daily reminder of my treasured memories, exploring the Amalfi Coast with my husband. The price was nearly €400 when you add in the €150 to ship. I feared it was a little sketchy when I was told I had to pay the shipping cost separately (and in cash) and worried that the shipping cost was excessive due to me being a tourist. I left my email address and was told I would be emailed the tracking info after it was shipped. After 12 days, I still had not received word from the store and there was no package to be seen. I called and spoke to whom I believe was the owner or manager and he asked me to email him, since his English reading and writing skills were more proficient. I sent off an email the next day and the package happened to arrive the very day I emailed the store. Seeing the size of the box and how well it was packaged, I no longer doubt the cost. --I've shipped sizable boxes from Europe before and for that size, €150 seems accurate. The store had many beautiful pieces and the sales associate was very sweet and certainly helpful. My only reason for giving them a 4-star instead of a 5, is because they didn't email me with tracking as they promised. Even an email saying they'd shipped it would have been nice. To drop that kind of money and then go 12 days without any word, any shipping info, or any product was a little distressing for me. With my gorgeous bowl sitting on the buffet table in my kitchen, all of the stress is forgotten though. Now when I look at my bowl, all I remember are my beautiful memories of strolling along those narrow, cobblestone streets with my husband on the most romantic vacation I have ever been on.

I was drawn to this beautiful little spot during afternoon and evening strolls around Sorrento…read more It's a lovely store, they have a beautiful selection of murano glass pieces but my eye caught a clock -- so simple, so beautiful - hand made in Verona. I had to have it. The sales people were so sweet, very helpful. My package arrived when expected, packed beautifully. And every day I smile when I look at this beautiful memory from a beautiful vacation. Highly recommend !

Located in the heart of Sorrento, along the cobblestone streets filled with restaurants, cafes and…read moretourist shops, this boutique stands out for the quality of fabrics and craftsmanship. Everything in the shop is exquisite! Calm colors - light blues, creams, grays, white and black - in simple patterns or solids and tailored designs. The fabrics are fine cashmere or linen and made right on the Amalfi Coast. I immediately knew I would find a treasure! After taking it all in, I decided on a light gray cashmere shawl with a unique feature; a loop on one side so you could thread the opposite end through. This enabled the shawl to stay on and not fall off while creating lovely pleats. So often with my other shawls, I am constantly having to readjust or hold onto them to make sure they don't fly off in the wind. Not this one! The loop also allowed the shawl to be styled several different ways for a diversity of looks. It was a no brainer! The only challenge was the color. Since I already own black cashmere seals and ponchos, and many in shades of blue, I chose the soft gray color. It works in every season so is ver versatile making it worth the price. Last year I was in Sorrento for five days on my own and then friends joined me. I brought them back to the boutique and two of them purchased the same shawl; one in black, the other a very soft peach. If you are looking for high quality cashmere, which the Almafi Coast is known for, and you are in Sorrento, I highly recommend Angels Romano Amalfi boutique. The owner is delightful!

An elevated souvenir shop carrying home decor, apparel and accessories, bath products and food…read moresouvenirs. Inside and out, the white walls bring in a light, airy seaside vibe. Ash wood floors, white product displays and hints of sky blue add to the feel. Food items include flavored and non-infused olive oils, truffle oil/sauce, nut butters including chocolate hazelnut spreads, locals wines and spirits, some basalmic vinegar, and of course plenty lemon products like limoncello, lemon olive oil, lemon pasta. Home goods range from drink coasters, decorative ceramics (think mini lemon trees), colorful watercolor prints. Many of their ceramics such as plates, cups, bowls and vases are made locally or regionally. Bath and beauty products also feature ingredients native to this part of Italy. The apparel and accessories section of the store is via separate entrance to the left, they carry men's and women's apparel with a lean towards a "getting on a yacht" type aesthetic, think light-colored linen button down shirts and belted khaki capris for men, and light, linen tops and summery embroidered beach dresses for women. Apparel will run €40-150 depending on the item.