The worst moment of a holiday is not leaving: it is packing to leave. The ceramic plate wrapped in three sweaters, the bottle of limoncello that cannot fly in the cabin, the parcel that weighs like a second bag. I work in a Positano workshop and this is my little guide to gifts that get home without drama.
The 100 millilitre rule
Let us start with the painful part: limoncello. In the cabin, liquids only travel in containers up to 100 millilitres, so the real bottle goes in the hold or it does not leave. If you travel with hand luggage only, it is better to choose things that do not spill. The lemons, though, can travel another way: painted on ceramics, printed on linen, or on the front of a pair of glasses. No security check will have anything to say.
Light beats fragile
Amalfi Coast ceramics are wonderful. In hand luggage, though, they suffer: they are heavy, they fear knocks, they take up space. If you love majolica, you can choose a small piece, have it shipped, or wear it: the ceramic decoration on the front of a pair of glasses weighs a few grams and does not break in your backpack.
Made-to-measure things
The gift that always works is the one that exists in a single piece. In Positano made to measure is a tradition: sandals, clothing and, in my workshop, glasses built for the person who will wear them. The glasses case fits in a trolley pocket! And my collapsible cork case is made precisely to save space in your bag and suitcase.
What about customs on the way back?
For those returning to the United States: the personal exemption normally covers up to 800 dollars of purchases you carry with you, so the gifts in your suitcase travel without worries. It is the shipped parcel that pays duty today, but there is a way without surprises there too: in my online shop duties and taxes are paid at checkout, and there is nothing to add on delivery.
What I suggest
If you are passing through Positano, here you will find my guide to the workshops of Positano. And if the trolley is already closed, no need to panic: made to measure also travels by post, in a box that does not fear the hold.