Custom Sandals: The Ultimate Italian Souvenir

I’m not much of a souvenir shopper. But when something does come home with me, it has to earn its spot in my suitcase: it must be …usable, match my style and made locally when possible.

Sorrento, Positano, Amalfi, and Capri will happily sell you every trinket imaginable. Soaps, candies, candles, the cobblestone streets are lined with shop after shop of pretty, mass-produced things. Fun to browse, easy to forget.

But keep walking past the window displays, and if you look up from your phone for a moment, you’ll find the real treasure: a tiny, unassuming shop (like Safari in Positano) where artisans are making custom sandals, right there in front of you.

Here’s the thing about a custom sandal shop: it is not for the indecisive. The choices start with your footbed (flat, a slight heel, a low wedge, take your pick) and just keep going from there. Next comes the strap style, anywhere from a lace-up gladiator to a delicate flip-flop silhouette. Then you choose your leather color, and if you’re feeling fancy, an embellishment like a jeweled accent. The combinations are nearly endless, which is half the fun.

And if all that decision-making sounds like it could eat your whole afternoon, don’t worry, the making itself moves fast. My daughter and I (who bought the sandals 11 years apart at the same shop!) actually spent more time debating our styles than the shoemakers spent building them. Start to finish, the whole process took about half an hour. So whether you’re based in Positano for a week or just passing through on a day trip, this is one stop that easily fits into even the tightest itinerary.

The speed in making the sandal doesn’t mean the quality is rushed. The craftsmen I used in both Rome and Positano worked with genuinely good materials, sturdy soles, real leather straps, and the kind of careful fitting that would make Cinderella jealous. I’ve had one pair for eleven years and another for seven. I wear them a handful of times a year, and they still look nearly new. My daughter loves hers as well.

There’s also something special about wearing a pair of shoes that exists nowhere else in the world. Every choice you make is yours alone, so you walk out with a completely bespoke piece that fits your style, your life, and honestly, your feet, perfectly. Be prepared for compliments, too. They make for a great excuse to talk about the trip and why you fell for Italy in the first place.

Best of all, you know exactly what you’re getting. Souvenir shopping abroad can be a guessing game, and it’s not always easy to tell what’s authentically local versus what got shipped in from somewhere else. A custom sandal shop leaves no doubt: it’s handmade in Italy, often by a family that has been doing this for generations, right before your eyes.

It was one of my favorite experiences from the whole trip, made even sweeter because I got to share it with my daughter just before she headed off to university. One small note if you’re shopping for a growing kid or teen: these sandals aren’t cheap, so it’s worth keeping in mind that little feet don’t stay little for long.