They used to be called “bomboniere” in Italian, and now they have become “favours”, but the concept has remained the same. Giving wedding guests a little gift to take home has always been a widespread tradition, especially for a destination wedding where a souvenir could be food or wine or an artisan gift item right from the local territory.
So here are our suggestions for the top 5 favours for a wedding in the Val d’Orcia.
 
1. A personalized bottle of olive oil
Extra-virgin olive oil is a symbol of Tuscany, and it also makes for one of the best gifts for guests: a personalized little bottle will make anyone happy. The bottles are also great for decorating on the wedding day with olive branches and candles, and can also double as place cards on the dinner table by stylishly tagging them with the name of the guests.

 
2. Traditional biscuits
A nicely wrapped package or a pretty box of biscuits produced by a local pastry shop decorated with a ribbon or card with the name of the happy couple and a little message is surely a much-appreciated gift. You are certainly spoiled for choice here in Tuscany: you can go with the traditional cantucci almond biscuits, ricciarelli from Siena, or the typical “brutti ma buoni” (they may look a little ugly but they are really very good) biscuits from the Val d’Orcia.
 
3. Local jams or honey
Imagine a beautiful little jar of honey or jam (maybe of an original flavour) wrapped with care. It is a sweet thought, and one that will surely make a good impression. Some suggestions? For the jams, choose from plum, blackberry or, an uncommon flavour, rosehip, while typical honey flavours from the Val d’Orcia area include acacia, the very rare marruca (crown of thorns), ivy, and sulla (French honeysuckle).
 
4. Scented candles and diffusors
An elegant handmade candle, maybe with a personalized label, is surely one of the more refined favours to receive. The same applies to diffusors, a gift that will definitely be appreciated especially with a classic scent.
 

5. Handcrafted wooden gift items
A mortar, pepper grinder, or even a cutting board: olive wood is a splendid material that is perfect for making many useful objects. And, being both resistant and light, it is easy to take home a gift made with olive wood in your suitcase. Just add a little card with the names of the happy couple to it, and you’ve got a personalized gift.