The shops in Venice, at least the ones on the more popular streets, are not exactly the place to find anything terribly unique. Costume masks, faux Murano glass, and overpriced leather wallets? Yes. In order to make it to Alberto Valese’s charming little shop, we had to walk in land, off the beaten path a little bit, to Campo S.Stefano. Alberto Valese is known in Venice as one of the best handmade paper makers (he also has a store on Rue Saint Paul in Paris). We fell in love with his colorful, paper-covered notebooks. Many of Valese’s printed papers are based off of some of the oldest Venetian, Florentine, and Roman palaces in Italy. Wherever we travel, we love to pick up a notebook that’s indicitive of where we’ve been. These make a great keepsake, as well as a wonderful gift! Next time you’re visiting Venice or Paris, be sure to stop by this lovely store. – L

Below, a couple of the notebooks and one of the cards we came home with.