My intern is headed off for a semester in Italy. Going away gift ideas?

[Scout1071]

Our small staff is pooling together some funds, but we need some gift ideas?

Thoughts for a young woman headed off to Italy for a semester?

[LiberalEsto]

1. Cash!

or rail passes

[Scout1071]

7. Rail pass is a great idea!

[auntAgonist]

2. does she

have a digital camera, something relatively hassle free.. a point and shoot.

[LiberalinNC]

3. Bill Clinton's Book - I've heard that if you carry it in Europe, the

folks will be friendlier to you! :)

[JimmyJazz]

4. One of those American Express gift cards would probably come

in handy. Or a phone card?

[Scout1071]

8. Phone card is a good idea too!

Her parents are pretty loaded, so I'm not sure about the Am Ex card. Hell, she drives a nicer car than me!

[Lars39]

5. Anything from

www.travelsmith.com she might like or need?

[Taverner]

6. A Vespa

Nothing like riding through the streets of Roma on one...

But it might be a little to big to take on the plane :(

[SoCalDem]

9. Here's what our son made me send to him (College in Florence)

peanut butter BIG JARS
velveeta(puke)
jars of crumbled bacon
CEREAL
washcloths
white socks
oreos
chex mix

and a bunch more stuff I have forgotten about.
...

Always the entrepreneur, he sold some of the cereal at $1.00 a bowl to his flat-mates..

The freight on that box was over $80, but he was especially thrilled to have American peanut butter..

[Scout1071]

10. great suggestions.

Thanks SoCal!

[WCGreen]

11. Deodorant,,,

Just kidding.....

[SoCalDem]

12. He cracked me up.. He was not impressed with the food in Florence

Said the pizza was not refrigerated, but sat in store windows.. He thought it was for display, but when he and his friend went into the restaurant and orderd a slice, they just pulled a piece off the "pizza in the window"..

He told me:.."Mom if i could get my hands on about 20 lbs of 'real bacon' and a few blocks of old fashioned cheddar cheese, i could sell it and live like a king"..

Of course as students they were living 'poor'..not going to pricey restaurants.. Their apartment was just off the whoopdeedo bridge that's in all the postcards, so they were near everything, and walked or rode bikes everywhere..

The way Europeans shop freaked him out. There were not the kinds of places he was used to, and their refrigerator was microscopic.